Moving to West Virginia from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to West Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to West Virginia, you would find that West Virginia is 14.3% cheaper than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $64,300 in West Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Philadelphia and Charleston are about 360 mi apart.
Is West Virginia cheaper than Pennsylvania?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 6.6% less
Groceries
pay 5.1% less
Transportation
pay 9.4% less
Housing
pay 19.6% less
Childcare
pay 38.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.3% 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 → $64,300
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 Pennsylvania to West Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania generally does better on safety, though West Virginia leads in property crime rate.
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
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°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 Pennsylvania?
Yes — West Virginia is on average about 14% cheaper than Pennsylvania. 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 $16,075 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?
Pennsylvania generally does better on safety, though West Virginia leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in West Virginia compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania performs better than West Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in West Virginia compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Charleston is 73°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Charleston receives around 44.4 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
