South ranking
2 West Virginia cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 78
Index 79
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington | 78 | $841/mo | $39,066 | 47K | Compare → |
| 2 | Charleston | 79 | $870/mo | $58,902 | 48K | Compare → |
So you're thinking about West Virginia. The strongest arguments for it are around affordable across the board and there's a genuinely cheap city to fall back on, plus 1 more. Detail on each below.
West Virginia's cost-of-living average comes in around 78 on the composite index, about 22% below the national average. Housing is doing most of the work; groceries and services follow at smaller gaps. Average median rent across West Virginia cities runs about $856/mo.
Huntington ranks as West Virginia's most affordable city at a composite cost index of 78 (22% below US average). Worth a look as a baseline for the cost ceiling — most of the rest of the state's cities are more expensive than this, not less.
Mountains are part of the everyday view in West Virginia, not a destination. That means cheaper proximity to skiing, hiking, and fishing than most of the country, and a culture that's tilted toward time outside whether you signed up for it or not.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for West Virginia (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across West Virginia, Huntington is the most affordable city we track (cost index 78, with median rent around $841/mo), while Charleston sits at the top of the range with an index of 79—roughly 1% pricier than Huntington. Use the table above to compare any West Virginia city directly against Huntington.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.