Skip to content
AffordMap

What Salary Do You Need to Live Comfortably in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

You need roughly $42,000/year to live comfortably in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford. After taxes that’s about $2,846/month, which covers a 2-bedroom at HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,271/month, groceries, transport, healthcare, and a 20% savings buffer. Of the occupations BLS tracks in Blacksburg, about 10 pay at least that much at the median. Comfortable, but not by much.

Monthly budget to live comfortably

Based on HUD FMR for Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford (RPP 92.71). All figures are monthly unless noted.

ExpenseMonthlyAnnual
Rent (HUD FMR 2BR)$1,271$15,252
Groceries$450$5,400
Transportation$350$4,200
Healthcare$200$2,400
Savings (20%)$569$6,828
Required take-home$2,846$34,152
Required gross salary$42,000/year

Jobs in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford that pay $42,000+/year

These occupations have median salaries at or above what you need to live comfortably.

Pipelayers
, median $48,540/yr
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
, median $51,010/yr
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
2.6K jobs, median $49,060/yr
Office Clerks, General
1.3K jobs, median $40,960/yr
General and Operations Managers
1.3K jobs, median $95,290/yr
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
1.2K jobs, median $45,070/yr
Registered Nurses
1.2K jobs, median $81,430/yr
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
1.0K jobs, median $39,970/yr
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
1.0K jobs, median $49,540/yr
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
1.0K jobs, median $48,230/yr

Compare all lifestyles in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

What salary you need to live budget, comfortably, or well.

Living On a Budget(1BR at $1,271/mo)
$40,000/yrView →
Living Comfortably(2BR at $1,271/mo)
$42,000/yr
Living Well(3BR at $1,652/mo)
$62,000/yrView →

Keep exploring Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

All salariesCost of livingAfford a 2BRTake-home calculator

Frequently asked questions

What salary do you need to live comfortably in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?
To live comfortably in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford you need roughly $42,000/year gross, or about $2,846/month in take-home pay. This covers rent at the HUD FMR of $1,271/month, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and 20% savings.
Is this realistic for the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford job market?
10 BLS-tracked occupations in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro pay $42,000/year or more at the median. A limited number of fields hit this bar.
How much of that goes to rent?
Rent takes 45% of monthly take-home in this scenario. The HUD Fair Market Rent for Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford is $1,271/month for a 2-bedroom. The rest splits across groceries ($450), transportation ($350), and healthcare ($200).
What if I want to save more than 20%?
This budget targets a 20% savings rate. To push that to 30%, add roughly 10 to 15% to the gross figure, putting you near $47,040/year. Alternatively, trim variable costs. Groceries and transportation have more flexibility than rent.
How does Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford compare to other metros for this lifestyle?
The bare minimum in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford is around $40,000/year on a tight budget, covering a 1-bedroom at the HUD FMR. A comfortable lifestyle requires $42,000/year. Use the comparison table above or the compare tool to check other metros side by side.

Source data is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other federal agencies. AffordMap is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Per BLS policy, "BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov."

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you click through and take action, AffordMap may receive compensation at no cost to you. This never influences the salary data, cost-of-living figures, or calculations shown — all data comes from U.S. government sources. See our full disclosure.