Cost of Living in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Sugar Grove is a Census-designated place in Smyth County, Virginia, with a population of 745. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Sugar Grove is $33,318 a year — less than the annual cost of living for Virginia of $44,012 and less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Sugar Grove and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Housing Costs in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Housing is one of the largest components of cost of living. In Sugar Grove, the median home value is $69,300, less than the national median home value of $204,900.

Renting is a sometimes lower cost alternative to homeownership. In Sugar Grove, some 39.70% of occupied homes are rented, greater than the 36.2% national renter rate. The typical renter in Sugar Grove spends $450 a month on housing, greater than the $1,023 national median monthly rent.

Transportation Costs in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Sugar Grove, 91.30% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 88.50% of workers commute to jobs outside of Sugar Grove, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Sugar Grove is 26.6 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Sugar Grove spends $10,796 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are closely in line with the national average in Sugar Grove and also in line with what they are across Virginia as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $4,162 per year, compared to an average of $3,997 across Virginia and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Sugar Grove, Virginia

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Sugar Grove, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $10,287, about $6,000 less than the comparable average of $16,282 across all of Virginia. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Sugar Grove, a single adult spends an average of $2,964 on food annually, and a family of four spends $8,561 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Virginia and the U.S., respectively, are $3,374 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,744 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Sugar Grove, Virginia

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Sugar Grove, Virginia pays $5,779 annually — relatively little compared to the statewide average of $8,386.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Sugar Grove residents live in a state with a low average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Virginia total $2,758 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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