Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Virginia vs. Kentucky Cost of Living Summary
West Virginia is 4.2% cheaper than Kentucky.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.4% more in West Virginia
- Groceries
-
pay 7.6% less in West Virginia
- Transportation
-
pay 14.2% more in West Virginia
- Housing
-
pay 1.8% more in West Virginia
- Childcare
-
pay 39.5% less in West Virginia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.5% less in West Virginia
- Clothing
-
pay 0.1% more in West Virginia
The cost of transportation, restaurants, housing, and clothing in West Virginia are more expensive than in Kentucky. Expenses including childcare, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in West Virginia.
West Virginia vs. Kentucky Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Virginia instead of Kentucky, you would:
pay 3.4% more for restaurants
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.82
|
$15.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.59
|
$10.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$1.87
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.6% less for groceries
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.62
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.43
|
$4.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.00
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.14
|
$3.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.82
|
$4.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.12
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$1.34
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of groceries
pay 14.2% more for transportation
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.17
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,897.72
|
$31,636.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.64
|
$15.12
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of transportation
pay 1.8% more for housing
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.19
|
$62.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,095.19
|
$985.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$954.16
|
$808.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$143.50
|
$195.99
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of housing
pay 39.5% less for childcare
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,283.80
|
$895.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,534.67
|
$10,512.00
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of childcare
pay 1.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.88
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.94
|
$4.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.93
|
$8.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.21
|
$33.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.61
|
$12.09
|
|
Kentucky vs. West Virginia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.1% more for clothing
|
Kentucky
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.82
|
$45.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.25
|
$39.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.57
|
$83.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.91
|
$96.41
|
|
Kentucky 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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