Living in Charlottesville, VA
College town in Virginia
Charlottesville is a college town in Virginia, home to about 46,000 people, with 192,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Charlottesville a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Low natural disaster risk: 3 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Dog-friendly: 10 dog parks within 9 mi
- Strong healthcare: 3 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 85°F
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 192,000 people live within 31 mi
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Charlottesville ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Charlottesville: common questions
What is the cost of living in Charlottesville?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $466k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,220 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 99, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Charlottesville?
Virginia collects about $2,198 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.81% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Charlottesville safe?
Violent crime is close to the national rate (0.9× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Charlottesville?
Charlottesville has cool winters: winter days average around 47°F and summer days around 85°F, with roughly 17″ of snow a year.
Does Charlottesville get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, strong wind and earthquakes: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.56 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Charlottesville?
The nearest major airport is RIC, about 73 mi away.
How Charlottesville scores
Each bar compares Charlottesville with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Charlottesville right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.