Moving to New Mexico from West Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from West Virginia to New Mexico — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from West Virginia to New Mexico, you would find that New Mexico is 18.2% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $89,647 in New Mexico to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from West Virginia to New Mexico.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,647
To maintain the same standard of living in New Mexico
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.6% more
Groceries
pay 21.5% more
Transportation
pay 10.8% less
Housing
pay 14.3% more
Childcare
pay 59.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.6% 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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
New Mexico 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 Mexico 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 Mexico leads in average commute.
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 Mexico generally does better on employment & economy, though West Virginia leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New Mexico 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 | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Mexico than West Virginia?
Day-to-day costs in New Mexico run about 20% higher than West Virginia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to New Mexico?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,412 in New Mexico for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Mexico safe?
West Virginia performs better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Mexico compared to West Virginia?
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New Mexico compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Santa Fe is 64°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Santa Fe receives around 15.7 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
