What a Virginia Beach home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at $432,800 of value before exemptions. Typical use.
- Property tax$4,198
0.970% of $432,800
- Electricity and gas$3,751
1078 kWh a month $2,375 · 47.7 therms $1,376
- Water and sewer$1,904
5,000 gallons a month on City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities: water $39, sewer $99, stormwater utility fee (city's estimated monthly fee for residential parcels) $18, utility tax on residential water: 20%, or a maximum of $3 per month (shown at the maximum) $3 a month
- Trash$367
Curbside cart, $31 a month
- Home insurance$1,332
Typical premium $1,332
A typical Virginia Beach house costs about $11,600 a year: $4,200 property tax and charges, $1,900 water and sewer, $370 trash, $3,750 electricity and gas, $1,330 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Seniors or disabled: real estate tax reliefIncome and net worth limits apply
To qualify, individuals must meet income and net worth limitations.
How: Apply at the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office, Municipal Center, Building 1, by appointment, February 1 through June 30.
Landfill and drop-off centers are covered by the trash feeNo extra charge
The solid waste collection fee covers unlimited use of the Landfill and Resource Recovery Center, unlimited use of two recycling drop-off centers, and up to 12 visits per year to the SPSA Landstown Transfer Station.
How: The solid waste collection fee covers unlimited use of the Landfill and Resource Recovery Center.
Bulky item pickup is included in the trash feeUpon request
The solid waste collection fee covers bulk item collection (upon request).
How: Bulk item collection is available upon request.
Money dates
- Dec 5 · Jun 5in 42 daysReal estate taxes are assessed for the City’s fiscal year of July 1 through June 30 and are billed by the City Treasurer in two installments due Dec. 5 and June 5.
- Feb 1 to Jun 30in 100 daysApplications for Real Estate Tax Exemption are taken at the Commissioner of Revenue's Office by appointment only from Feb. 1 through June 30.
- After each due datePayments received or postmarked after the grace period are assessed a penalty of 10% of the total tax or $10, whichever is greater, but not to exceed the amount of the bill plus interest at 9.6% per year.
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities
- Water usage rate is $6.54 per 1,000 gallons; the service availability charge is a monthly rate based on meter size
- Property tax
- 0.97% of value
- FY 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), City of Virginia Beach
- Garbage
- City of Virginia Beach Public Works Waste Management Group
- Weekly trash, weekly yard debris and bi-weekly recycling collection for $30.55 a month on the City Services Bill
- Sewer
- City of Virginia Beach and HRSD
- HRSD bills wastewater treatment separately from the city's sewer charge
- Electricity
- Dominion Energy Virginia
- Schedule 1 residential service: $7.58 basic customer charge a month
- Gas
- Virginia Natural Gas
- Schedule 1 residential firm gas sales service: $14.18 customer charge a month
Other VA cities
Chesapeake home costsFairfax home costsRoanoke home costsNewport News home costsHerndon home costsLynchburg home costsHampton home costsSalem home costsDanville home costsSuffolk home costsSmithfield home costsRadford home costsManassas home costsBristol home costsWarrenton home costsNorfolk home costsPortsmouth home costsHopewell home costsWilliamsburg home costsMartinsville home costsPetersburg home costsHarrisonburg home costs
How these numbers are made
- Water, sewer, trash and stormwater are on the city's monthly City Services Bill: $6.30 a month service availability charge (5/8-inch meter) plus $6.54 per 1,000 gallons, a $33.18 flat monthly sewer charge for single-family homes, and $30.55 a month for trash. Starting use is the 5,000 gallons (6.684 CCF) a month used in the City of Chesapeake's FY 2027 regional tax comparison, not a Virginia Beach figure.
- HRSD treatment is billed separately by HRSD at $9.84 per 100 cubic feet; we convert it to $13.155 per 1,000 gallons (9.84 / 0.748) and add it to sewer. HRSD's minimum daily charge is not modelled.
- Stormwater is $17.70 a month for one equivalent residential unit, from the City of Chesapeake's FY 2027 regional comparison; the city's own pages give only a combined fixed daily charge. The 20% utility tax on water is capped at $3 a month, which a typical bill reaches.
- Property tax: the FY27 general rate of $0.97 per $100 on the $432,800 median single-family assessed value. Virginia has no general homestead exemption. Special Service District rates (e.g. Sandbridge, Central Business District South) apply only inside those districts and are not included. Personal property (car) tax is not included.
- Electricity: Dominion Energy Virginia Schedule 1 with the per-kWh riders as in the Chesapeake record, seasonal generation charges weighted four summer months to eight winter months, plus Virginia Beach's $3.00 maximum electric utility tax in the fixed charge. Gas: Virginia Natural Gas October 2026 rates plus the SAVE charge and the $2.73 monthly gas utility tax at 46 CCF; converted to therms at 1.037. Starting use of 1,078 kWh and 46 CCF a month is the EIA 2020 figure the Chesapeake comparison uses. Insurance is the 2022 Virginia average HO-3 premium (NAIC).
- Stormwater $17.70 is an estimate for one equivalent residential unit; the $3 water utility tax is the monthly cap, which a typical bill reaches. Seniors' relief age threshold not stated in the evidence.
- Modelling: water utility tax is 20% of water charges capped at $3/month; $3.00 is used as the monthly amount assuming a typical bill reaches the cap (our assumption).
- Stormwater fee and water utility tax are shown at the city's published figure ($17.70 comparison fee; $3 cap), assumed typical for one household.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
- City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities: Rates, Fees & Charges
- Public Works: Trash & Recycling Customer Service
- City of Virginia Beach: New Fees and Rates (City Services Bill)
- Real Estate Assessor FY 26/27 Annual Report (PDF)
- Real Estate Assessor: Tax Rates
- City Treasurer: Real Estate
- Real Estate Assessor: Senior & Disabled Tax Relief
- City of Chesapeake: FY 2027 Local Tax Comparisons (PDF)
- HRSD Rate Schedule, FY 2027 (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Schedule 1 Residential Service (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Exhibit of Applicable Riders (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Fuel Charge Rider A (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Deferred Fuel Cost Charge (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Consumption Tax (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider C1A (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider C4A (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider CERC (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider DIST (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider E (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider GEN (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider SMR (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider SNA (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider T1 (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider CCR (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider CE (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider OSW (PDF)
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Rider RPS (PDF)
- Dominion Energy: Percentage of Income Payment Program
- WTKR: Dominion Energy outages in Chesapeake
- Virginia Natural Gas: Schedule of Rates and Charges, October 2026 (PDF)
- Virginia Natural Gas: Pricing and Rates (SAVE and CARE riders)
- Triple-I: homeowners insurance premiums by state (NAIC)
How Virginia Beach compares
A typical Virginia Beach house against the 23 Virginia cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | Virginia Beach | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 0.97% | 1.06% | lower than 14 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover |
| Water | $468 | $571 | lower than 16 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $1,436 | $806 | higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover |
| Trash | $367 | $300 | higher than 13 of the other 18 Virginia cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $3,751 | $3,284 | higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,332 | $1,332 | in the middle of 18 other Virginia cities we cover |
| Total | $11,552 | $9,242 | higher than 18 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,436 a year, higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.
Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $1,436 a year, higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
2. Electricity and gas
The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,751 a year, higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.
Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,751 a year for a typical house, higher than 20 of the other 22 Virginia cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"
Common questions about Virginia Beach house costs
What is the property tax rate in Virginia Beach?
About 0.97% of the value before exemptions a year (FY 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), City of Virginia Beach), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Virginia Beach?
About $4,850 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in Virginia Beach?
About $159 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5,000 gallons a month) on City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities.
How much does trash pickup cost in Virginia Beach?
$31 a month for a house.
When is property tax due in Virginia Beach?
Dec 5 · Jun 5: Real estate taxes are assessed for the City’s fiscal year of July 1 through June 30 and are billed by the City Treasurer in two installments due Dec. 5 and June 5.
Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Virginia Beach?
Yes. Seniors or disabled: real estate tax relief: To qualify, individuals must meet income and net worth limitations.
How much does a house in Virginia Beach cost to run each year?
A typical Virginia Beach house costs about $11,600 a year: $4,200 property tax and charges, $1,900 water and sewer, $370 trash, $3,750 electricity and gas, $1,330 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.