Moving to Maryland from West Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from West Virginia to Maryland — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from West Virginia to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 42.4% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $103,147 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from West Virginia to Maryland.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $103,147
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 7.8% more
Groceries
pay 46.7% more
Transportation
pay 15.4% more
Housing
pay 33.0% more
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.9% 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
How West Virginia and Maryland stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
West Virginia performs better than Maryland 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
Maryland 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 Maryland across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
West Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though Maryland 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
Maryland 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
Maryland 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 | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 50°/33°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°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 59°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than West Virginia?
Day-to-day costs in Maryland run about 38% higher than West Virginia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $25,787 in Maryland for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maryland safe?
West Virginia performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to West Virginia?
Maryland performs significantly better than West Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Annapolis is 68°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Annapolis receives around 47.3 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
