Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Virginia vs. Iowa Cost of Living Summary
West Virginia is 5.3% cheaper than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% less in West Virginia
- Groceries
-
pay 5.4% less in West Virginia
- Transportation
-
pay 19.4% more in West Virginia
- Housing
-
pay 7.3% more in West Virginia
- Childcare
-
pay 33.4% less in West Virginia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.8% less in West Virginia
- Clothing
-
pay 7.7% less in West Virginia
The cost of transportation and housing in West Virginia are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and restaurants are lower in West Virginia.
West Virginia vs. Iowa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Virginia instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 1.2% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.83
|
$15.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.57
|
$10.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.87
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.4% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.77
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.89
|
$4.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.33
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.30
|
$3.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.57
|
$4.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$1.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.99
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.34
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of groceries
pay 19.4% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.02
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.07
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,093.10
|
$31,636.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.46
|
$15.12
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of transportation
pay 7.3% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.62
|
$62.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,069.66
|
$985.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$852.78
|
$808.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.13
|
$195.99
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of housing
pay 33.4% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,152.45
|
$895.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,898.50
|
$10,512.00
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of childcare
pay 15.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$4.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.55
|
$8.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.76
|
$33.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.58
|
$12.09
|
|
Iowa vs. West Virginia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.7% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.34
|
$45.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.65
|
$39.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.56
|
$83.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.86
|
$96.41
|
|
Iowa 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: December 2025
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