Moving to Alabama from West Virginia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from West Virginia to Alabama — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from West Virginia to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 6.0% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $78,611 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from West Virginia to Alabama.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,611
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.5% less
Groceries
pay 15.7% more
Transportation
pay 6.4% less
Housing
pay 3.6% less
Childcare
pay 36.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% more
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
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from West Virginia to Alabama.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs better than Alabama 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
Alabama 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 better than Alabama across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alabama performs significantly 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
Alabama performs significantly 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
Alabama performs significantly 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 | Charleston | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than West Virginia?
No — Alabama is on average about 5% more expensive than West Virginia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,653 in Alabama on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Alabama safe?
West Virginia performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to West Virginia?
Alabama generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
