Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in West Virginia instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 19.0% more likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In West Virginia, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2022.

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Economy

be 13.4% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In West Virginia, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

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Sources: World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Bank (2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Zealand vs. West Virginia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
West Virginia is 7.7% more expensive than New Zealand overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Zealand is about 4.3 times bigger than West Virginia.
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Moving from New Zealand to West Virginia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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