Moving to West Virginia from Indiana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Indiana to West Virginia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Indiana to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 0.6% cheaper than Indiana. A $75,000 salary in Indiana would need to be roughly $74,500 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Charleston averages 73°F vs 62°F in Indianapolis, making it significantly warmer. Indianapolis and Charleston are about 260 mi apart.
Is West Virginia cheaper than Indiana?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.9% more
Groceries
pay 9.1% more
Transportation
pay 7.7% more
Housing
pay 8.7% less
Childcare
pay 1.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.7% 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 → $74,500
To maintain the same standard of living in West Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in West Virginia compared to Indiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs significantly better than Indiana 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
Indiana 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 Indiana across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Indiana 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
Indiana 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
Indiana 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 Indiana
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Indianapolis | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Indianapolis | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°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 Indiana?
West Virginia and Indiana are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to West Virginia?
Budget about $18,625 for 3 months in West Virginia (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is West Virginia safe?
West Virginia performs significantly better than Indiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Indiana?
Indiana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Indiana?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 62°F in Indianapolis. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Indianapolis gets 40.8 in.
