Moving to New Jersey from West Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from West Virginia to New Jersey? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from West Virginia to New Jersey, you would find that New Jersey is 43.5% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $108,000 in New Jersey to maintain the same lifestyle. Charleston and Newark are about 430 mi apart.
Is New Jersey cheaper than West Virginia?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.8% more
Groceries
pay 23.7% more
Transportation
pay 25.6% more
Housing
pay 81.5% more
Childcare
pay 47.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 41.4% 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 New Jersey?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $108,000
To maintain the same standard of living in New Jersey
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New Jersey compared to West Virginia.
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 New Jersey 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
New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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
New Jersey generally does better on employment & economy, though West Virginia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New Jersey 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 New Jersey vs West Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Charleston | Newark |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 48°/27°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 76°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 58°/36°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Newark |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 42°/24°F (5.6°/-4.4°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 46°/26°F (7.7°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 55°/32°F (12.7°/0.2°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 67°/42°F (19.4°/5.3°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 85°/61°F (29.5°/16.3°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 88°/66°F (31.2°/18.8°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 87°/65°F (30.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 80°/57°F (26.5°/14.0°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 69°/45°F (20.4°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 58°/36°F (14.2°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 46°/28°F (7.8°/-2.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Jersey than West Virginia?
On average New Jersey is around 43% pricier than West Virginia, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New Jersey?
Budget about $27,000 for 3 months in New Jersey (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Jersey safe?
West Virginia generally does better on safety, though New Jersey leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in New Jersey compared to West Virginia?
New Jersey generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New Jersey compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Newark is 67°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Newark receives around 46.2 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
