Moving to West Virginia from Illinois
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Illinois to West Virginia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Illinois to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 11.6% cheaper than Illinois. A $75,000 salary in Illinois would need to be roughly $66,300 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Charleston averages 73°F vs 59°F in Chicago, making it significantly warmer. Chicago and Charleston are about 400 mi apart.
Is West Virginia cheaper than Illinois?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.9% less
Groceries
pay 0.1% more
Transportation
pay 9.3% less
Housing
pay 18.1% less
Childcare
pay 15.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.5% 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 → $66,300
To maintain the same standard of living in West Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Illinois and West Virginia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs significantly better than Illinois 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
Illinois 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 Illinois across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Illinois generally does better on infrastructure, though West Virginia leads in average commute.
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
Illinois generally does better on employment & economy, though West Virginia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Illinois 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 Illinois
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Chicago | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/22°F (3°/-6°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/32°F (9°/0°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Chicago | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/17°F (-0.6°/-8.6°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 35°/20°F (1.8°/-6.6°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 47°/29°F (8.1°/-1.6°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 59°/39°F (15.0°/3.8°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 70°/48°F (21.1°/9.1°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 80°/58°F (26.5°/14.5°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 84°/64°F (28.9°/17.7°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 82°/63°F (27.7°/17.2°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 75°/54°F (23.8°/12.4°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 62°/43°F (16.8°/6.0°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/32°F (9.0°/0.2°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 35°/21°F (1.6°/-6.3°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 Illinois?
Generally yes: West Virginia runs about 12% cheaper than Illinois on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to West Virginia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,575 in West Virginia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is West Virginia safe?
West Virginia performs significantly better than Illinois across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Illinois?
Illinois generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Illinois?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 59°F in Chicago. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Chicago gets 36.9 in.
