Seattle - WA vs Virginia Beach - VA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Seattle - WA is roughly 94% more expensive than Virginia Beach - VA in typical home value. Seattle - WA sees more listings with price cuts (34.2% vs 26.2%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Seattle vs Virginia Beach: what the numbers say

At today's 7.32% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,958 a month in principal and interest in Seattle and $2,040 in Virginia Beach, a gap of $1,918 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,250 in Seattle and $1,886 in Virginia Beach, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.8 times rent in Seattle and 1.1 times rent in Virginia Beach, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 26.7 years of rent in Seattle and 16.4 in Virginia Beach; the lower ratio in Virginia Beach means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved -2.9% in Seattle and +4.3% in Virginia Beach; over just the last three months the change was -0.3% in Seattle and +0.9% in Virginia Beach.

Homes sell for 99.3% of list price in Seattle and 99.8% in Virginia Beach, after 27 and 30 days on the market, with price cuts on 34% and 26% of listings. The signs are mixed: Seattle has more price cuts and sales further below list, while Virginia Beach has longer time on the market.

The number of homes for sale is up 20% on a year ago in Seattle and up 6% on a year ago in Virginia Beach.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-22), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.