Chesapeake,
rental market profile.

The typical rent in Chesapeake, VA is $2,063 a month, up 6.3% from a year earlier. The typical home is worth $424,217, up 3.6% from a year earlier. Owning that home costs about $1,008 more a month than renting it. See the rent or buy math.

Zillow data for September 2026, updated monthly.

Current market, September 2026.

Typical home value$424,217+3.6% vs. a year earlier
Typical rent$2,063+6.3% vs. a year earlier
Gross rent-to-value5.84%annual rent ÷ value
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-bed$1,667FY2027 · second-source check
Estimated annual property tax$3,4840.82% effective rate (ACS)

Data: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), September 2026; smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Typical values sit in the middle of the local market; rent covers houses and apartments. Updated monthly. Second source: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent for Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area (40th-percentile gross rent, including utilities).

Five-year trend in Chesapeake.

Typical rent+30.0% since Sep 2021
$1,600$1,800$2,00020222023202420252026$2,063
Show the numbers
MonthTypical rent
Sep 2021$1,587
Sep 2022$1,684
Sep 2023$1,761
Sep 2024$1,874
Sep 2025$1,940
Sep 2026$2,063
Typical home value+27.2% since Sep 2021
$350,000$400,00020222023202420252026$424,217
Show the numbers
MonthTypical home value
Sep 2021$333,587
Sep 2022$365,789
Sep 2023$383,214
Sep 2024$397,385
Sep 2025$409,560
Sep 2026$424,217

Monthly Zillow Observed Rent Index and Home Value Index, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Each chart has its own scale, which does not start at zero, so small changes are visible.

Rent by number of bedrooms.

Studio
$1,470
1 bedroom
$1,488
2 bedrooms
$1,667
3 bedrooms
$2,298
4 bedrooms
$2,710

HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents for Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area: the 40th-percentile gross rent, utilities included, for the whole area. Rents inside Chesapeake can be higher or lower. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents.

Census profile, 2020–2024: population, income and long-run medians
Population252.6KACS estimate
Median household income$95,373annual
Median gross rent$1,586monthly
Median home value$378,400owner-occupied
Median property tax$3,108annual · owner-occupied
Effective tax reference0.82%median tax ÷ median value
State HO-3 premium$1,5372023 homeowner reference
Housing vacancy3.3%all housing units
Gross rent-to-value5.03%annual rent ÷ home value
Rent-to-income reference20.0%annual rent ÷ income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. Estimates cover 2020–2024. Insurance context: NAIC 2023 Homeowners Insurance Report. Ratios are derived from area medians and are not a property cap rate, affordability decision, insurance quote or expected return.

How Chesapeake compares.

Chesapeake’s median gross rent is 0.4% above the Virginia median, while its median owner-occupied home value is 1.4% below the state reference. Median household income is 2.4% above the statewide estimate.

The gross rent-to-value reference is 5.03%. It simply annualizes the area’s median gross rent and divides it by the area’s median home value. It does not subtract vacancy, taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, financing or capital reserves.

Chesapeake baseline comparison
MetricCityChesapeakeStateVirginiaCountryUnited States
Median gross rent$1,586$1,579$1,413
Median home value$378,400$383,700$332,700
Household income$95,373$93,170$80,734
Median annual property tax$3,108$2,790$3,119
Housing vacancy3.3%8.7%10.1%
Rent vs baseline—+0.4%+12.2%

Test a Chesapeake baseline.

Load the area medians for purchase price, rent and annual property tax, then replace every assumption with property-specific figures and current quotes.

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Check the rent for a specific Chesapeake address.

Our figures are citywide typical rents. RentCast estimates the rent for one property from nearby rental comparables, so you can test the deal with a local figure.

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What this profile can—and cannot—tell you.

Use area data to compare markets before researching a specific address.

Useful for screening

Population, income, rent and home-value medians provide a consistent first comparison across markets.

Property facts still matter

Verify achievable rent, taxes, insurance, condition, financing and local rules for the exact property.

Vacancy needs context

The ACS figure covers all housing units. It is not the vacancy allowance to enter in rental underwriting.

Questions about Chesapeake.

What is the average rent in Chesapeake, VA?

The typical asking rent in Chesapeake, VA is $2,063 a month, according to Zillow's Observed Rent Index for September 2026, which covers houses and apartments. The Census Bureau's median gross rent for 2020–2024, which includes utilities and long-standing leases, is $1,586. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom home in the area is $1,667.

Is rent going up or down in Chesapeake?

Rent is rising. The typical rent is $2,063, up 6.3% from $1,940 a year earlier.

How much does a house cost in Chesapeake?

The typical home in Chesapeake, VA is worth $424,217, according to Zillow's Home Value Index for September 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Chesapeake?

Owning the typical home costs about $3,071 a month including the mortgage, property tax, insurance and upkeep, against $2,063 to rent it. Buying pulls ahead after about 19 years in our model. See the full comparison.

What is the property tax rate in Chesapeake?

The effective property tax rate is about 0.82% of home value, based on Census data, or roughly $3,484 a year on the typical home. Actual bills depend on the assessment and any exemptions.

Is Chesapeake a good place to invest in rental property?

It depends on the property. As a first screen, a year of typical rent in Chesapeake equals 5.84% of the typical home value. Higher ratios leave more room for expenses and a mortgage; the 1% rule looks for about 12% a year. Test a specific property in the rental property calculator before you decide.