---
title: "Virginia Beach vs Winston-Salem for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/virginia-beach-vs-winston-salem
description: "Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 62. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Virginia Beach vs Winston-Salem for digital nomads

Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 62. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

Where they are close: within five points on getting there & around, cost of living, internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Virginia Beach if you want** no clear edge over Winston-Salem in the data.

**Pick Winston-Salem if you want** to spend about $177 less a month.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 22 | 25 | Winston-Salem |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 86 | 84 | Virginia Beach |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 11 | 7 | Virginia Beach |
| Climate | 50 | 50 | tie |
| Air quality | 97 | 95 | Virginia Beach |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,938 | $2,761 | Winston-Salem |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 100.8 Mbps | 102.5 Mbps | Winston-Salem |
| Upload | 24 Mbps | 11.6 Mbps | Virginia Beach |

## Visa

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 44 | 15 | Virginia Beach |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Virginia Beach | Winston-Salem | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 6 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6.3 µg/m³ | 7.2 µg/m³ | Virginia Beach |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Virginia Beach or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem is cheaper: about $2,761 per month versus $2,938 for one person.

### Is Virginia Beach or Winston-Salem safer?

Virginia Beach and Winston-Salem score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Virginia Beach or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem: a measured median of 102.5 Mbps versus 100.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Virginia Beach](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/virginia-beach) · [Winston-Salem](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/winston-salem). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/virginia-beach-vs-winston-salem