Richmond vs Harrisonburg leftover
Moving to Harrisonburg costs you $901 a month
$1,452/mo leftover in Harrisonburg vs $2,353 in Richmond after tax and rent ($901 less). −$10,812 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Richmond leftover
$2,353
a month after tax and rent
Harrisonburg leftover
$1,452
−$901 vs Richmond
Compare Richmond to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Richmond.
Monthly gap
Richmond → Harrisonburg
$901
less / month in Richmond
$1,452 in Harrisonburg · $2,353 in Richmond · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 28 households moved Richmond → Harrisonburg (avg AGI $35,071). 89 went the other way. The whole move →
−$901 / mo
| Per month | Richmond | Harrisonburg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $6,278 | −$1,306 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,923 | $1,461 | −$462 |
| Take-home pay | $5,660 | $4,816 | −$843 |
| Rent | $1,362 | $1,395 | +$33 |
| Getting around | $553 | $564 | +$11 |
| Groceries | $384 | $388 | +$4 |
| Healthcare | $432 | $436 | +$4 |
| Utilities | $240 | $242 | +$2 |
| Everything else | $336 | $339 | +$3 |
| Left over | $2,353 | $1,452 | −$901 |
To break even in Harrisonburg, you'd need to earn
$92,000
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Richmond does now.
The tax difference alone
+$901
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.4% in Richmond, 23.3% in Harrisonburg.
More about Harrisonburg
Richmond, VA in full
DC's cheaper cousin, two hours from both mountains and ocean.
Harrisonburg, VA in full
State income tax topping out at 5.75%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,661 and 220 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Harrisonburg on Harrisonburg wages.
Harrisonburg → Richmond →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Harrisonburg than Richmond?
A one-bedroom is about $1,362 in Richmond versus $1,395 in Harrisonburg. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $901 a month lower in Harrisonburg. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Harrisonburg have state income tax?
Harrisonburg is in Virginia, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Richmond to Harrisonburg?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Virginia tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Richmond and Harrisonburg moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.