Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kentucky vs. West Virginia Cost of Living Summary
Kentucky is 10.1% more expensive than West Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.2% less in Kentucky
- Groceries
-
pay 8.9% more in Kentucky
- Transportation
-
pay 8.3% less in Kentucky
- Housing
-
pay 1.7% more in Kentucky
- Childcare
-
pay 69.3% more in Kentucky
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0% more in Kentucky
- Clothing
-
pay 0.2% more in Kentucky
The cost of childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, housing, and clothing in Kentucky are more expensive than in West Virginia. Expenses including transportation and restaurants are lower in Kentucky.
Kentucky vs. West Virginia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kentucky instead of West Virginia, you would:
pay 3.2% less for restaurants
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.56
|
$15.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.18
|
$9.59
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$1.87
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.9% more for groceries
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
|
$2.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.57
|
$5.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.06
|
$3.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.10
|
$3.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.29
|
$4.82
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
|
$0.66
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$2.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.29
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of groceries
pay 8.3% less for transportation
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$2.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$39.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,636.47
|
$35,897.72
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.12
|
$14.64
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of transportation
pay 1.7% more for housing
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.38
|
$65.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$985.60
|
$1,095.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$808.85
|
$954.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$195.99
|
$143.50
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of housing
pay 69.3% more for childcare
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$895.95
|
$1,283.80
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,512.00
|
$20,534.67
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$4.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.52
|
$4.94
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.29
|
$7.93
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.14
|
$30.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.09
|
$12.61
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.2% more for clothing
|
West Virginia
|
Kentucky
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
|
$45.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.06
|
$36.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.25
|
$88.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.41
|
$97.91
|
|
West Virginia vs. Kentucky - 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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