Moving to West Virginia from Idaho
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Idaho to West Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Idaho to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 5.7% cheaper than Idaho. A $75,000 salary in Idaho would need to be roughly $70,700 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Charleston averages 73°F vs 59°F in Idaho Falls, making it significantly warmer. Idaho Falls and Charleston are about 1,600 mi apart.
Is West Virginia cheaper than Idaho?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.3% more
Groceries
pay 7.8% more
Transportation
pay 3.6% more
Housing
pay 16.9% less
Childcare
pay 1.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in West Virginia?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,700
To maintain the same standard of living in West Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Idaho to West Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Idaho performs better than West Virginia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
West Virginia performs significantly better than Idaho across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Idaho performs better than West Virginia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Idaho performs better than West Virginia across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Idaho performs better than West Virginia across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in West Virginia vs Idaho
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Idaho Falls | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/19°F (4°/-7°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/40°F (20°/5°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/49°F (29°/9°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 45°/24°F (7°/-5°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Idaho Falls | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.7°/-10.2°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 36°/17°F (2.3°/-8.4°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 49°/26°F (9.3°/-3.2°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 59°/33°F (15.2°/0.3°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 69°/40°F (20.3°/4.7°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 78°/47°F (25.6°/8.6°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 87°/53°F (30.7°/11.7°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 87°/51°F (30.6°/10.7°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 76°/42°F (24.3°/5.8°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 61°/33°F (16.3°/0.4°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 44°/24°F (6.4°/-4.7°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.7°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in West Virginia than Idaho?
Yes — West Virginia is on average about 6% cheaper than Idaho. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to West Virginia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,675 in West Virginia on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is West Virginia safe?
Idaho performs better than West Virginia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Idaho?
Idaho generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Idaho?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 59°F in Idaho Falls. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Idaho Falls gets 14.3 in.
