Moving to West Virginia from Iowa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iowa to West Virginia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iowa to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 5.3% cheaper than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $70,243 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Charleston averages 73°F vs 60°F in Des Moines, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iowa to West Virginia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,243
To maintain the same standard of living in West Virginia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.2% less
Groceries
pay 5.4% less
Transportation
pay 19.4% more
Housing
pay 7.3% more
Childcare
pay 33.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.8% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Iowa 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 Iowa 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
Iowa performs better than West Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
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 Iowa across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa 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
Iowa 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
Iowa performs better than West Virginia across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°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 Iowa?
Generally yes: West Virginia runs about 6% cheaper than Iowa 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 $17,561 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 Iowa across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Iowa?
Iowa performs better than West Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
