When it comes to cost of living, Roanoke offers the best value of any metro in Virginia! Cost of living information is an important tool for individuals and businesses. It provides a baseline comparison for how far a dollar will go. And in the Roanoke Region, your dollar stretches further.

Annual numbers released by the Council for Community Economic Research for 2016 rank the Roanoke metro area as the 55th lowest cost metro in the nation with costs lower than 80 percent of participating metros. With an index of 89.1, costs in Roanoke are lower than the national average of 100.

The numbers put Roanoke well below the national average for costs and ahead of similarly sized metro markets in the South such as Richmond (94.3), Asheville (95.6) and Chattanooga (95.7). New York City ranked highest in cost of living with an index of 227.8.

The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.

Thanks to the Roanoke Regional Partnership for sharing this good news!