Cost of living comparison
compared to
West Virginia vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
West Virginia is 14.1% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.9% less in West Virginia
- Groceries
-
pay 24.4% less in West Virginia
- Transportation
-
pay 5.5% less in West Virginia
- Housing
-
pay 9.0% less in West Virginia
- Childcare
-
pay 43.1% less in West Virginia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.3% less in West Virginia
- Clothing
-
pay 5.6% less in West Virginia
Expenses including childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, housing, clothing, and transportation are lower in West Virginia.
West Virginia vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in West Virginia instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 0.9% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$15.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$10.18
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.87
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.4% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$2.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$4.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$3.10
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$4.29
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.64
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.34
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of groceries
pay 5.5% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$31,636.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$15.12
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of transportation
pay 9.0% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$62.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$985.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$808.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$195.99
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of housing
pay 43.1% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$895.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$10,512.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of childcare
pay 10.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$4.52
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$8.29
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$33.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$12.09
|
|
North Carolina vs. West Virginia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.6% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
West Virginia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$45.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$39.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$83.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$96.41
|
|
North Carolina 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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