Moving to Indiana from West Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from West Virginia to Indiana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from West Virginia to Indiana, you would find that Indiana is 0.6% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $75,500 in Indiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Indianapolis averages 62°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly cooler. Charleston and Indianapolis are about 260 mi apart.
Is Indiana cheaper than West Virginia?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.9% less
Groceries
pay 8.3% less
Transportation
pay 7.1% less
Housing
pay 9.5% more
Childcare
pay 1.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.7% 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.
What salary do you need in Indiana?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,500
To maintain the same standard of living in Indiana
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Indiana compared to West Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs better than Indiana 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
Indiana 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 Indiana across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Indiana 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
Indiana 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
Indiana performs significantly 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 Indiana vs West Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Indiana than West Virginia?
Indiana and West Virginia are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Indiana?
Budget about $18,875 for 3 months in Indiana (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Indiana safe?
West Virginia performs better than Indiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Indiana compared to West Virginia?
Indiana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Indiana compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Indianapolis is 62°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Indianapolis receives around 40.8 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
