Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Virginia Beach, VA

Discover affordable housing in Virginia Beach where there are 52+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Virginia Beach, Virginia
$28.28/hour
$16.28 (+136%) more than Virginia minimum wage and $21.03 (+290%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Virginia Beach, Virginia Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Virginia Beach, Virginia?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Go to the Virginia Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Virginia Beach.

How many renters live in Virginia Beach, Virginia?

The City of Virginia Beach has 455,618 people living in 179,752 households.

There are 152,302 renters living in 65,726 renter households in this City. Renters make up 33.43 percent of the population living in Virginia Beach.

What is the rental market like in Virginia Beach, Virginia?

There are an estimated 191,169 housing units in the Virginia Beach area. Of these, 68,534 units are rental homes, making up 36 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Virginia Beach, Virginia, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Virginia Beach?

The rental vacancy rate in Virginia Beach is 4 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

How many rental units are in Virginia Beach for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Virginia Beach
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,614 10,319 27,160 18,964 4,747
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Virginia Beach

A large number of apartments in Virginia Beach have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How many renter households in Virginia Beach are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 53 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 27 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.

The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

How Much Is Rent in Virginia Beach

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,279 to $2,532. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,279
One BR $1,287
Two BR $1,493
Three BR $2,079
Four BR $2,532
2024 Fair Market Rents in Virginia Beach, Virginia

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Virginia Beach?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 671 42 percent
One BR 4,887 47 percent
Two BR 14,177 52 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Virginia Beach, Virginia

How many affordable rental units are in Virginia Beach?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Virginia Beach, Virginia including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 3,621
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 1,188
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 132
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 24
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach features 1,387 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Virginia Beach, Virginia

There are 2,797 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Virginia Beach.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Virginia Beach, Virginia

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Virginia Beach landlords $900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in Virginia Beach.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Virginia Beach, Virginia for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,344 and $1,642.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.