Salaries in Virginia Beach.
3,445 roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 0.98x national average. Last updated June 2026.
3,445 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$346,000
Principal AI Research Scientist
Median of All Roles
$152,000
Machine Learning Engineer
Entry Level
$33,000
IT Intern
Salary data sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated June 2026.
Virginia Beach, VA has a cost-of-living index of 0.98x the national average. The highest-paying role is Principal AI Research Scientist at $346,000, while the median across all 3,445 roles is $152,000. Virginia Beach anchors the Hampton Roads region with a strong military presence, growing cybersecurity sector, and expanding tech corridor.
About the Virginia Beach market
Virginia Beach anchors the Hampton Roads region with a strong military presence, growing cybersecurity sector, and expanding tech corridor. Naval Station Norfolk drives significant defense contractor employment. The lower cost of living compared to Northern Virginia attracts remote workers and military-to-civilian transitions.
Military & DefenseCybersecurityHealthcareTourismLogistics
Top 50 salaries in Virginia Beach
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $346,000 | $270,000 – $450,000 |
| 2 | Technical Fellow | $346,000 | $270,000 – $450,000 |
| 3 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $340,000 | $265,000 – $441,000 |
| 4 | Distinguished Engineer | $336,000 | $255,000 – $428,000 |
| 5 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $330,000 | $258,000 – $429,000 |
| 6 | Chief Security Officer | $323,000 | $252,000 – $420,000 |
| 7 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $318,000 | $248,000 – $414,000 |
| 8 | Senior VP of Product | $317,000 | $247,000 – $412,000 |
| 9 | Chief Science Officer | $316,000 | $247,000 – $411,000 |
| 10 | SVP of Product | $316,000 | $247,000 – $411,000 |
| 11 | Chief AI Officer | $313,000 | $232,000 – $404,000 |
| 12 | SVP of Engineering | $313,000 | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 13 | Senior VP of Security | $313,000 | $245,000 – $407,000 |
| 14 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $312,000 | $243,000 – $406,000 |
| 15 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $312,000 | $243,000 – $406,000 |
| 16 | SVP of Technology | $312,000 | $243,000 – $406,000 |
| 17 | Senior VP of Design | $310,000 | $242,000 – $403,000 |
| 18 | Principal Cryptographer | $309,000 | $241,000 – $402,000 |
| 19 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $308,000 | $241,000 – $400,000 |
| 20 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $307,000 | $240,000 – $399,000 |
| 21 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $306,000 | $238,000 – $397,000 |
| 22 | Principal LLM Engineer | $304,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 23 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $303,000 | $237,000 – $394,000 |
| 24 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $303,000 | $236,000 – $393,000 |
| 25 | Chief Legal Officer | $303,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 26 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 27 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $301,000 | $234,000 – $391,000 |
| 28 | Chief Strategy Officer | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 29 | CTO | $300,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 30 | SVP of Strategy | $300,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 31 | L7 Software Engineer | $298,000 | $232,000 – $387,000 |
| 32 | Chief Technology Officer | $296,000 | $219,000 – $387,000 |
| 33 | Chief Commercial Officer | $295,000 | $230,000 – $384,000 |
| 34 | Principal Applied Scientist | $294,000 | $230,000 – $382,000 |
| 35 | Staff AI Safety Engineer | $293,000 | $228,000 – $380,000 |
| 36 | Chief Transformation Officer | $293,000 | $228,000 – $381,000 |
| 37 | SVP of Finance | $293,000 | $228,000 – $381,000 |
| 38 | Principal NLP Engineer | $292,000 | $227,000 – $379,000 |
| 39 | Chief Design Officer | $292,000 | $228,000 – $380,000 |
| 40 | Senior Head of Product | $291,000 | $228,000 – $379,000 |
| 41 | Chief Architect | $291,000 | $227,000 – $378,000 |
| 42 | Senior Head of Security | $289,000 | $226,000 – $376,000 |
| 43 | SVP of Business Development | $288,000 | $224,000 – $374,000 |
| 44 | Staff AI Agent Architect | $287,000 | $224,000 – $373,000 |
| 45 | VP of AI Research | $287,000 | $224,000 – $373,000 |
| 46 | Senior High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $287,000 | $224,000 – $373,000 |
| 47 | Chief Growth Officer | $287,000 | $224,000 – $373,000 |
| 48 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $286,000 | $213,000 – $374,000 |
| 49 | Principal Machine Learning Engineer | $286,000 | $223,000 – $371,000 |
| 50 | SVP of Data | $286,000 | $223,000 – $373,000 |
Tax considerations
Virginia's flat 5.75% state income tax applies. Virginia Beach has no city income tax. The moderate rate combined with lower housing costs than Northern Virginia creates good take home pay.
Negotiating in Virginia Beach
Leverage military transition benefits. Hampton Roads employers value candidates with security clearances and military technical experience.
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