Retaining wall cost in Virginia Beach, VA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (200 sq ft of wall face)
- $6,200 – $12,300
- Per sq ft of wall face
- $31 – $59
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −10%
- US $10,300
- Rank of 300 metros
- #245
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to build a retaining wall in Virginia Beach, plan on $6,200 to $12,300 for 200 sq ft of wall face, all in. Per sq ft of wall face, that is $31 to $59 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 10% lower than the national one. Brickmasons and blockmasons earn a median of $24.22 an hour in the Virginia Beach area, 19% below the US median of $29.87.
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Estimated cost for 200 sq ft of wall face in Virginia Beach, VA, standard level
$8,050 to $10,500
About $39.50 to $50.50 per sq ft of wall face before permits. Labor is about 42% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,150 | $6,100 |
| Labor | $3,700 | $4,050 |
| Permits and fees | $170 | $320 |
| Total | $8,050 | $10,500 |
Cost breakdown for 200 sq ft of wall face in Virginia Beach, VA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,700 | $5,150 | $7,550 | 55% |
| Labor | $3,450 | $3,850 | $4,300 | 42% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $240 | $440 | 3% |
| Total | $6,200 | $9,250 | $12,300 | 100% |
Why Virginia Beach prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on brickmasons and blockmasons, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $24.22 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Virginia Beach is 0.82 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 42% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Virginia Beach metro is 96.8 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 200 sq ft of wall face comes to $5,150, compared with $5,300 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (97.9) and land at $50 to $440.
How Virginia Beach compares
Of the five closest metros, 1 is cheaper than Virginia Beach. Greenville is the lowest at about $9,050 (midpoint, 200 sq ft of wall face), 100 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach, VAthis page | $6,200 – $12,300 | $9,250 | |
| Richmond, VA70 miles | $6,400 – $12,500 | $9,450 | +2% |
| Greenville, NC100 miles | $6,050 – $12,000 | $9,050 | −2% |
| Lexington Park, MD100 miles | $6,900 – $13,300 | $10,100 | +9% |
| Raleigh, NC135 miles | $6,400 – $12,500 | $9,400 | +2% |
| Charlottesville, VA145 miles | $6,600 – $12,700 | $9,650 | +4% |
| Virginia (statewide) | $6,700 – $13,000 | $9,850 | +6% |
| United States | $7,050 – $13,500 | $10,300 | +11% |
Across 300 US metros, Virginia Beach comes in at #245 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $13,500; the cheapest is El Paso, TX at $8,850 (midpoints, 200 sq ft of wall face). Statewide, Virginia Beach is 6% below the Virginia figure.
Other Virginia metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond, VA | 660,350 jobs | $6,400 – $12,500 | $9,450 | +2% |
| Roanoke, VA | 153,980 jobs | $6,100 – $12,100 | $9,100 | −2% |
| Charlottesville, VA | 114,780 jobs | $6,600 – $12,700 | $9,650 | +4% |
| Lynchburg, VA | 97,190 jobs | $6,250 – $12,300 | $9,250 | level |
| Blacksburg, VA | 74,070 jobs | $6,400 – $12,500 | $9,450 | +2% |
| Winchester, VA | 67,740 jobs | $6,450 – $12,500 | $9,500 | +3% |
Cities with a workforce like Virginia Beach's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Virginia Beach against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, FL | 765,930 jobs | $6,550 – $12,700 | $9,650 | +4% |
| Raleigh, NC | 743,120 jobs | $6,400 – $12,500 | $9,400 | +2% |
| Milwaukee, WI | 820,780 jobs | $8,550 – $15,100 | $11,800 | +28% |
| Providence, RI | 714,120 jobs | $8,300 – $14,800 | $11,600 | +25% |
Pick a size, pick a tier: retaining wall pricing in Virginia Beach
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Virginia Beach wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.
Basic
$6,200 to $8,650
Short block wall, easy access
Standard
$8,050 to $10,500
Standard segmental block wall with drainage
Premium
$9,850 to $12,300
Tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face | $3,150 – $4,400 | $4,100 – $5,400 | $5,050 – $6,350 |
| 20 ft x 4 ft (80 sq ft of wall face) | $2,500 – $3,600 | $3,300 – $4,400 | $4,100 – $5,150 |
| 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) | $5,000 – $6,950 | $6,450 – $8,450 | $7,950 – $9,900 |
| 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face) | $7,450 – $10,300 | $9,600 – $12,500 | $11,800 – $14,600 |
Why two Virginia Beach quotes can differ
Drainage
Every wall needs drainage behind it. A French drain adds $10-$85+ per linear foot.
Rebuilding
Replacing an old wall adds $15-$30 per linear foot for demolition plus disposal.
Permit
Permits cost $50-$450 depending on location and wall size.
Climate in Virginia Beach: timing your retaining wall job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Oceana Nas (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
February through December is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Virginia Beach (11 of 12 months). January has an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 50 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Virginia Beach gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 3 inches of snow. The wettest months are July, August and September (5.8 inches in July). Inside the workable window, February and November are the driest, at 2.8 and 3.1 inches. The station averages about 32 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 32 | 3.2 | Cold |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 2.8 | Workable |
| Mar | 59 | 39 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 69 | 48 | 3.4 | Workable |
| May | 76 | 56 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 83 | 66 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Jul | 87 | 70 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 85 | 69 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Sep | 80 | 64 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 71 | 53 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Nov | 61 | 42 | 3.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 54 | 35 | 3.3 | Workable |
Related projects, priced for Virginia Beach
Because every project leans on different trades, Virginia Beach's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sod installation runs −6% and concrete driveway −11%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $550 – $1,900 | −9% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,650 – $4,850 | −11% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,300 – $8,150 | −11% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,100 | −6% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,700 – $9,250 | −7% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $32,700 – $102,000 | −10% |
Virginia Beach labor market for retaining wall
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Virginia Beach is 0.82 times the national level.
Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021), 50% of the weighting: a median of $24.22 an hour, 19% below the US median of $29.87. The middle half of them earn between $22.43 and $27.40 an hour. About 400 work in the metro. That is 5.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 3.4 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $18.51 an hour, 18% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.29 and $21.90 an hour. About 5,660 work in the metro. That is 74.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 20%) the local median is $25.03 an hour, which is 13% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.01 and $29.38 an hour. BLS counts 2,150 of them working in the area, 28.2 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the brickmasons and blockmasons on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($27.40 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $250. At the 25th percentile ($22.43) it shrinks by about $140. The total moves by 2.7% or 1.5%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 763,060 jobs in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk area. That makes it the 40th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.49% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) | 50% | $22.43 | $24.22 | $27.40 | $29.87 | 0.81 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $17.29 | $18.51 | $21.90 | $22.66 | 0.82 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 20% | $23.01 | $25.03 | $29.38 | $28.78 | 0.87 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.82 | |||||
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Retaining wall in Virginia Beach: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a retaining wall in Virginia Beach?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, expect $6,200 to $12,300 in the Virginia Beach area. A standard-spec job lands at $8,050 to $10,500. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft of wall face and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft of wall face for retaining wall in Virginia Beach?
About $31 to $59 per sq ft of wall face for materials and labor, plus $50 to $440 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $35 to $65.
+Is retaining wall cheaper in Virginia Beach or Richmond?
Richmond is 70 miles away. The midpoint for 200 sq ft of wall face there is $9,450, which is 2% more than Virginia Beach ($9,250). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Virginia Beach?
About 42% at the midpoint, or $3,850 out of $9,250. Materials are 55% and permits 3%. Nationally, labor is 46%.
+What would 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) cost in Virginia Beach?
$5,000 to $9,900. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does retaining wall need a permit in Virginia Beach?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $50 to $440 for fees in the Virginia Beach area (our national range of $50 to $450 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Virginia Beach expensive for retaining wall compared with the rest of Virginia?
Virginia Beach is 6% below the Virginia statewide estimate ($9,850 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Virginia; see the state page to compare them.
+What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Virginia Beach?
The BLS median is $24.22 an hour in the Virginia Beach area, compared with $29.87 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $22.43 to $27.40.
+What do basic and premium retaining wall work cost in Virginia Beach?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, basic work runs $6,200 to $8,650 and premium work $9,850 to $12,300. Basic means: short block wall, easy access. Premium means: tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access.
+When is the best time to build a retaining wall in Virginia Beach?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through December. February and November are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Retaining wall near Virginia Beach
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = 40% of the low installed price and 60% of the high one, since HomeGuide says labor is 40-60% of the total project cost.