Rent Affordability for A Chef in Virginia
A typical chef in Virginia earns about $65,433 a year, which supports approximately $1,636 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Virginia city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.
As of May 2026. 19 of 89 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 70 are rent-burdened on this salary.
| City↕ | Median rent↕ | % of income↑ | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville, VA | $871/mo | 16% | very comfortable |
| Danville, VA | $1,167/mo | 21.4% | affordable |
| Farmville, VA | $1,291/mo | 23.7% | affordable |
| Lynchburg, VA | $1,325/mo | 24.3% | affordable |
| Petersburg, VA | $1,337/mo | 24.5% | affordable |
| Madison Heights, VA | $1,351/mo | 24.8% | affordable |
| Bristol, VA | $1,376/mo | 25.2% | affordable |
| Roanoke, VA | $1,394/mo | 25.6% | affordable |
| Hopewell, VA | $1,419/mo | 26% | affordable |
| South Hill, VA | $1,425/mo | 26.1% | affordable |
| Radford, VA | $1,503/mo | 27.6% | affordable |
| Salem, VA | $1,536/mo | 28.2% | affordable |
| Forest, VA | $1,557/mo | 28.6% | affordable |
| Staunton, VA | $1,581/mo | 29% | affordable |
| Highland Springs, VA | $1,581/mo | 29% | affordable |
| Newport News, VA | $1,587/mo | 29.1% | affordable |
| Montrose, VA | $1,595/mo | 29.3% | affordable |
| Waynesboro, VA | $1,602/mo | 29.4% | affordable |
| Portsmouth, VA | $1,617/mo | 29.7% | affordable |
| Bellwood, VA | $1,658/mo | 30.4% | stretched |
| Richmond, VA | $1,682/mo | 30.8% | stretched |
| Hampton, VA | $1,693/mo | 31% | stretched |
| Christiansburg, VA | $1,693/mo | 31% | stretched |
| Colonial Heights, VA | $1,690/mo | 31% | stretched |
| Lexington, VA | $1,699/mo | 31.2% | stretched |
| Blacksburg, VA | $1,721/mo | 31.6% | stretched |
| Norfolk, VA | $1,752/mo | 32.1% | stretched |
| East Highland Park, VA | $1,755/mo | 32.2% | stretched |
| Winchester, VA | $1,785/mo | 32.7% | stretched |
| Henrico, VA | $1,782/mo | 32.7% | stretched |
| Front Royal, VA | $1,786/mo | 32.8% | stretched |
| Fishersville, VA | $1,795/mo | 32.9% | stretched |
| Carrollton, VA | $1,825/mo | 33.5% | stretched |
| Chester, VA | $1,835/mo | 33.7% | stretched |
| Powhatan, VA | $1,835/mo | 33.7% | stretched |
| Harrisonburg, VA | $1,848/mo | 33.9% | stretched |
| Culpeper, VA | $1,908/mo | 35% | stretched |
| Suffolk, VA | $1,993/mo | 36.6% | stretched |
| Charlottesville, VA | $2,021/mo | 37.1% | stretched |
| Lakeside, VA | $2,033/mo | 37.3% | stretched |
| Chesapeake, VA | $2,041/mo | 37.4% | stretched |
| Williamsburg, VA | $2,058/mo | 37.7% | stretched |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $2,065/mo | 37.9% | stretched |
| Midlothian, VA | $2,072/mo | 38% | stretched |
| Fredericksburg, VA | $2,079/mo | 38.1% | stretched |
| Palmyra, VA | $2,089/mo | 38.3% | stretched |
| Spotsylvania, VA | $2,092/mo | 38.4% | stretched |
| Manassas Park, VA | $2,106/mo | 38.6% | stretched |
| Fort Belvoir, VA | $2,107/mo | 38.6% | stretched |
| Glen Allen, VA | $2,113/mo | 38.8% | stretched |
| Mechanicsville, VA | $2,139/mo | 39.2% | stretched |
| Yorktown, VA | $2,149/mo | 39.4% | stretched |
| Lincolnia, VA | $2,156/mo | 39.5% | stretched |
| Prince George, VA | $2,167/mo | 39.7% | stretched |
| Woodbridge, VA | $2,195/mo | 40.3% | rent-burdened |
| Manassas, VA | $2,200/mo | 40.3% | rent-burdened |
| Huntington, VA | $2,202/mo | 40.4% | rent-burdened |
| Stephens City, VA | $2,277/mo | 41.8% | rent-burdened |
| Belle Haven, VA | $2,284/mo | 41.9% | rent-burdened |
| Chesterfield, VA | $2,289/mo | 42% | rent-burdened |
| Warrenton, VA | $2,296/mo | 42.1% | rent-burdened |
| Alexandria, VA | $2,318/mo | 42.5% | rent-burdened |
| Leesburg, VA | $2,399/mo | 44% | rent-burdened |
| Centreville, VA | $2,424/mo | 44.5% | rent-burdened |
| Fairfax, VA | $2,458/mo | 45.1% | rent-burdened |
| Annandale, VA | $2,462/mo | 45.2% | rent-burdened |
| Herndon, VA | $2,467/mo | 45.2% | rent-burdened |
| Smithfield, VA | $2,498/mo | 45.8% | rent-burdened |
| Falls Church, VA | $2,537/mo | 46.5% | rent-burdened |
| Lorton, VA | $2,567/mo | 47.1% | rent-burdened |
| Reston, VA | $2,598/mo | 47.6% | rent-burdened |
| Stafford, VA | $2,664/mo | 48.9% | rent-burdened |
| Sterling, VA | $2,718/mo | 49.8% | rent-burdened |
| Arlington, VA | $2,722/mo | 49.9% | rent-burdened |
| McLean, VA | $2,769/mo | 50.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Mount Vernon, VA | $2,775/mo | 50.9% | severely rent-burdened |
| Purcellville, VA | $2,800/mo | 51.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Burke, VA | $2,896/mo | 53.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Gainesville, VA | $2,947/mo | 54% | severely rent-burdened |
| Ashburn, VA | $2,995/mo | 54.9% | severely rent-burdened |
| Dumfries, VA | $3,099/mo | 56.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Oakton, VA | $3,116/mo | 57.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Springfield, VA | $3,142/mo | 57.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Chantilly, VA | $3,208/mo | 58.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Aldie, VA | $3,310/mo | 60.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Vienna, VA | $3,536/mo | 64.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Haymarket, VA | $4,075/mo | 74.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Fort Hunt, VA | $4,549/mo | 83.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Great Falls, VA | $5,167/mo | 94.8% | severely rent-burdened |