Moving to West Virginia from New Mexico
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New Mexico to West Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New Mexico to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 10.0% cheaper than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $67,500 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Albuquerque and Charleston are about 1,400 mi apart.
Is West Virginia cheaper than New Mexico?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.2% less
Groceries
pay 4.2% less
Transportation
pay 22.3% more
Housing
pay 24.7% less
Childcare
pay 7.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.8% 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.
What salary do you need in West Virginia?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,500
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 New Mexico to West Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs significantly better than New Mexico 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
New Mexico 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 New Mexico across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Mexico generally does better on infrastructure, though West Virginia leads in internet access.
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
New Mexico generally does better on employment & economy, though West Virginia leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New Mexico 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 New Mexico
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Albuquerque | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/31°F (12°/-1°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/53°F (26°/11°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albuquerque | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/26°F (8.2°/-3.3°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 53°/30°F (11.4°/-0.9°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 60°/36°F (15.8°/2.1°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 69°/43°F (20.6°/6.1°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 79°/53°F (26.0°/11.4°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 88°/62°F (31.3°/16.4°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.3°/19.1°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 69°/46°F (20.6°/7.8°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 56°/34°F (13.2°/1.2°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 46°/26°F (7.8°/-3.1°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 New Mexico?
Yes — West Virginia is on average about 10% cheaper than New Mexico. 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 $16,875 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?
West Virginia performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to New Mexico?
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to New Mexico?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 69°F in Albuquerque. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Albuquerque gets 9.4 in.
