Moving to Utah from West Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from West Virginia to Utah — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from West Virginia to Utah, you would find that Utah is 13.9% more expensive than West Virginia. A $75,000 salary in West Virginia would need to be roughly $88,676 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Salt Lake City averages 64°F vs 73°F in Charleston, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from West Virginia to Utah.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,676
To maintain the same standard of living in Utah
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 1.8% more
Groceries
pay 13.0% more
Transportation
pay 10.0% more
Housing
pay 18.9% more
Childcare
pay 30.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.1% 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 Utah 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 generally does better on safety, though Utah 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
Utah 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 Utah across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah 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
Utah 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
Utah 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 | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 61°/47°F (16°/8°C) | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/67°F (26°/19°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/75°F (30°/24°C) | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 67°/54°F (20°/12°C) | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Charleston | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/43°F (13.7°/6.0°C) | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) |
| Feb | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.5°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) |
| Mar | 65°/52°F (18.3°/10.9°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 72°/59°F (22.2°/14.9°C) | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) |
| May | 79°/67°F (25.9°/19.5°C) | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) |
| Jun | 85°/74°F (29.2°/23.3°C) | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/77°F (30.9°/24.9°C) | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/76°F (30.2°/24.5°C) | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) |
| Sep | 82°/72°F (27.8°/22.1°C) | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 75°/62°F (23.7°/16.9°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) |
| Nov | 67°/54°F (19.6°/12.0°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 60°/46°F (15.3°/7.6°C) | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Utah than West Virginia?
Day-to-day costs in Utah run about 18% higher than West Virginia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Utah?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $22,169 in Utah for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Utah safe?
West Virginia generally does better on safety, though Utah leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Utah compared to West Virginia?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though West Virginia leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Utah compared to West Virginia?
The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 73°F in Charleston. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Charleston gets 44.4 in.
