Moving from Iowa to West Virginia
Iowa to West Virginia is a move of about 900 miles. Median rent is $872 a month in West Virginia and $972 in Iowa, and the median home is $162,600 against $208,000. State income tax is up to 4.82% in West Virginia and a flat 3.80% in Iowa. Property tax runs 0.53% of home value in West Virginia and 1.39% in Iowa.
Moving to West Virginia costs
About the same
Iowa and West Virginia work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Iowa and West Virginia cost about the same to live in
Homes cost 1.3x more in one than the other, yet once taxes and everyday costs are counted the two land within $50 a month of each other. The sticker price on a house is a poor guide to what a place actually costs.
Iowa vs West Virginia at a glance
| Iowa | West Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $208,000 | $162,600 |
| Median rent | $972/mo | $872/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.80% | Up to 4.82% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 0.53% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 97 |
| Utilities | 83 | 92 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Iowa vs West Virginia
| Monthly | IA | WV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $972 | $872 | -$100 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $202 | $243 | +$41 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $7 | None | -$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $84 | $89 | +$5 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,718 | $1,770 | +$52 |
| Utilities | $340 | $377 | +$37 |
| Total | +$28 | ||
Cost to move from Iowa to West Virginia
$2,100 to $4,800
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $950, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Des Moines is not Iowa-average and Huntington is not West Virginia-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in West Virginia, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.