Moving to Kentucky from West Virginia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from West Virginia to Kentucky — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from West Virginia to Kentucky, you would find that Kentucky is 1.2% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $75,900 in Kentucky to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Louisville are about 220 mi apart.
Is Kentucky cheaper than West Virginia?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 8.6% less
Groceries
pay 2.6% less
Transportation
pay 7.8% less
Housing
pay 4.9% more
Childcare
pay 24.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.4% 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 Kentucky?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $75,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Kentucky
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from West Virginia to Kentucky.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia generally does better on safety, though Kentucky leads in violent 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
Kentucky performs significantly 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 better than Kentucky across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kentucky 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
Kentucky 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
Kentucky 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 Kentucky vs West Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 86°/66°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 58°/40°F (14°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 43°/27°F (6.1°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 48°/30°F (8.8°/-1.2°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 58°/38°F (14.4°/3.2°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.5°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 85°/66°F (29.6°/18.9°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 89°/70°F (31.5°/21.1°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.3°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 82°/60°F (27.5°/15.8°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 70°/49°F (21.2°/9.4°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 58°/40°F (14.4°/4.2°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 46°/30°F (7.7°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kentucky than West Virginia?
Costs in Kentucky and West Virginia are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Kentucky?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,975 in Kentucky on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Kentucky safe?
West Virginia generally does better on safety, though Kentucky leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Kentucky compared to West Virginia?
Kentucky performs significantly better than West Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Kentucky compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Louisville is 68°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Louisville receives around 44.9 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
