Moving to West Virginia from Maine

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maine to West Virginia — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Maine to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 19.5% cheaper than Maine. A $75,000 salary in Maine would need to be roughly $59,033 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Maine to West Virginia.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $59,033

To maintain the same standard of living in West Virginia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 16.8% less

Groceries

pay 18.7% less

Transportation

pay 3.5% more

Housing

pay 13.8% less

Childcare

pay 58.5% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 18.6% less

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Maine and West Virginia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

ME
101
WV
266
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

ME
1105
WV
1198

Maine performs better than West Virginia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

ME
6.4%
WV
6.1%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

ME
33.2%
WV
40.5%

Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

ME
$266,400
WV
$155,600
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

ME
$1,084
WV
$850

West Virginia performs significantly better than Maine across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

ME
89.2%
WV
84.7%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

ME
24 min
WV
27 min

Maine performs better than West Virginia across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

ME
3.2%
WV
4.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

ME
$54,958
WV
$46,834

Maine performs better than West Virginia across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

ME
77.8 yrs
WV
72.8 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

ME
25%
WV
17%

Maine 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.

Augusta Rain: 43.6 in/yr (1107 mm)
77° / 51°F

Avg. annual high / low

Charleston Rain: 44.4 in/yr (1128 mm)
73° / 60°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Augusta Charleston
Jan–Mar 63°/37°F (17°/3°C) 61°/47°F (16°/8°C)
Apr–Jun 84°/57°F (29°/14°C) 79°/67°F (26°/19°C)
Jul–Sep 91°/67°F (33°/20°C) 85°/75°F (30°/24°C)
Oct–Dec 69°/42°F (21°/6°C) 67°/54°F (20°/12°C)
View all months
Month Augusta Charleston
Jan 58°/33°F (14.4°/0.4°C) 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C)
Feb 62°/36°F (16.8°/2.2°C) 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C)
Mar 70°/42°F (21.1°/5.6°C) 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C)
Apr 77°/48°F (25.2°/8.9°C) 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C)
May 85°/57°F (29.4°/14.1°C) 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C)
Jun 91°/66°F (32.8°/19.0°C) 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C)
Jul 93°/70°F (34.1°/21.0°C) 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C)
Aug 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C)
Sep 87°/63°F (30.4°/17.0°C) 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C)
Oct 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.6°C) 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C)
Nov 69°/41°F (20.6°/5.2°C) 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C)
Dec 60°/35°F (15.6°/1.4°C) 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in West Virginia than Maine?

Generally yes: West Virginia runs about 21% cheaper than Maine 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 $14,758 in West Virginia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is West Virginia safe?

Maine performs better than West Virginia across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Maine?

Maine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Maine?

The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 77°F in Augusta. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Augusta gets 43.6 in.

Share this