Moving from New York to West Virginia: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from New York to West Virginia.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from New York to West Virginia
New York has graduated income tax rates up to 10.9% and West Virginia has graduated income tax rates up to 4.82%. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 in state income tax in New York and $3,885 in state income tax in West Virginia. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $975 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,400 a month across New York's metro areas and $836 across West Virginia's (-40.3%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $59,552 in New York and $44,856 in West Virginia. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
West Virginia Paycheck & Living Costs
Metropolitan Corridors Between New York & West Virginia
Moving from New York to West Virginia on a $100,000 salary: pay $975 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $836 vs $1,400 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $975 lower in West Virginia than in New York (1.0 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across West Virginia's metros is $836 a month, versus $1,400 in New York (-40.3%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$7,747 a year.
New York: Graduated Brackets, top rate 10.9%. West Virginia: Graduated Brackets, top rate 4.82%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.