Cost of living in Sterling, Virginia

Sterling, Virginia has about 32,411 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $526,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Loudoun County is $2,438 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Sterling. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, prices sit at 108.9 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Virginia taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 5.8% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Sterling's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical Virginia home paid 17.55¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Sterling's bill.

EIA does not publish a Virginia gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Virginia shares this price.

Among 343 places we list in Virginia with a rent figure, 88 have higher typical rent than Sterling.