Charleston, WV vs Washington, DC
Moving from Charleston to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($148,817 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Charleston vs Washington at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charleston, WV, you'd need about $123,002 in Washington, DC (+$23,002).
Livability — Charleston, WV: 77 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,714 sqft in Charleston vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($88 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, WV | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $28,992 | +$13,812 |
| Groceries | $4,767 | $5,318 | +$551 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,855 | +$445 |
| Utilities | $1,740 | $2,748 | +$1,008 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,400 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $8,230 | $17,710 | +$9,481 |
| Total | $34,627 | $60,023 | +$25,396 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, WV | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.76% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.3% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $148,817 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.7× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $88 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.55% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.12% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.66% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.1 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |