How much do you need to make to live comfortably in Charlottesville, VA?

Living comfortably in Charlottesville costs around $5,155 per person per month, based on CostLiving’s comfortable lifestyle benchmark, or roughly $61,860 a year. That figure covers rent, groceries, utilities, transport, and modest discretionary spending for one person in a typical mid-tier neighborhood. Housing carries most of the weight: a one-bedroom near downtown or close to UVA runs $1,400 to $1,800, while Albemarle County and outlying areas drop to the $1,100 to $1,400 range. Charlottesville sits slightly below the Virginia state average ($5,195), well above Tennessee ($4,265) and West Virginia ($3,335), and below Maryland ($5,270). University demand keeps rents firm year-round. For the full lifestyle tier breakdown, see our Charlottesville cost of living page.