Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Virginia vs. District of Columbia Cost of Living Summary
West Virginia is 33.5% cheaper than District of Columbia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.7% less in West Virginia
- Groceries
-
pay 32.1% less in West Virginia
- Transportation
-
pay 13.0% less in West Virginia
- Housing
-
pay 24.8% less in West Virginia
- Childcare
-
pay 70.0% less in West Virginia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 40.5% less in West Virginia
- Clothing
-
pay 26.7% less in West Virginia
West Virginia vs. District of Columbia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Virginia instead of District of Columbia, you would:
pay 27.7% less for restaurants
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$15.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$1.87
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.1% less for groceries
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$4.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$3.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$4.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$1.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.34
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of groceries
pay 13.0% less for transportation
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$31,636.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$15.12
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of transportation
pay 24.8% less for housing
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$62.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$985.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$808.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$195.99
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of housing
pay 70.0% less for childcare
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$895.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$10,512.00
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of childcare
pay 40.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$4.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$8.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$33.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$12.09
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.7% less for clothing
|
District of Columbia
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$45.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$39.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$83.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$96.41
|
|
District of Columbia vs. West Virginia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: March 2026
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