Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News side by side

Metric Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News
Alpha Score3436
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health14
Affordability3623
Economic Strength4461
Rental Yield5252
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income3.44.0
Payment-to-Income20.9%24.2%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield5.5%5.3%
Overvaluation Index010

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 36/100 vs Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News 23/100.
  • Price Momentum: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 1/100 vs Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News 4/100.
  • Economic Strength: Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News leads — Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 44/100 vs Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News 61/100.
  • Rental Yield: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News score the same (52/100).

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News?

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News scores higher — 36 vs 34 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News more affordable?

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 3.4 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin and 4.0 in Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin or Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin market brief and the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News brief.