Cost of living comparison
compared to
North Carolina vs. West Virginia Cost of Living Summary
North Carolina is 24.6% more expensive than West Virginia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.2% more in North Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 33.1% more in North Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 7.7% more in North Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 22.8% more in North Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 87.6% more in North Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.8% more in North Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 6.3% more in North Carolina
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in North Carolina are more expensive than in West Virginia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.
North Carolina vs. West Virginia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in North Carolina instead of West Virginia, you would:
pay 1.2% more for restaurants
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.56
|
$17.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.18
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.28
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.87
|
$1.82
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 33.1% more for groceries
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
|
$3.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.57
|
$6.80
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.06
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.10
|
$3.98
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.29
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$2.47
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.61
|
$0.71
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
|
$2.38
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.23
|
$1.74
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.80
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 7.7% more for transportation
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$60.67
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,636.47
|
$33,588.64
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.12
|
$19.99
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 22.8% more for housing
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$62.38
|
$72.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$985.60
|
$1,488.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$808.85
|
$1,261.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$195.99
|
$132.31
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 87.6% more for childcare
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$895.95
|
$1,261.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,512.00
|
$24,633.15
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 13.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.44
|
$5.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.52
|
$4.82
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.29
|
$7.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$33.14
|
$48.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.09
|
$12.98
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.3% more for clothing
|
West Virginia
|
North Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
|
$49.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.06
|
$37.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.25
|
$88.37
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.41
|
$111.01
|
|
West Virginia vs. North Carolina - 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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