Cost of Living in West Virginia | Interview With Katie Stewart 

I am from upstate NY. 4 nights ago I had a dream , the entire dream I'm being told to get to West Virginia . The entire dream over and over go to West Virginia i never even heard of west Virginia before. So this just popped up as a suggested video so here I am. Its a beautiful area ♥️

FYI, there are many of us southerners that are in states that have been experiencing too much growth, crime and society breakdown to put it candidly. I think you may find more people looking to WV soon as refugees from other areas who want to live in less crowded areas and with more traditional values. Not sure if you have started seeing that yet but something to consider. Thanks for the great videos 👍🏻

I'm in southern wv. Land contract is the way to go. 2.96 acres 3 bed 2bath rancher. $400 FOR 10 YEARS. No interest. Well water which is mineral rich. Very affordable. I basically stack 3 pay checks a month. If you look you can find great deals.

Great video! I moved to Mercer County, WV from Louisiana 5 years ago and wish I would have done it many years sooner. I could live anywhere in the world I want with the job I have and I choose to call WV home. It’s the most beautiful place on earth and a true blessing to be able to live here! The people have been great and the cost of living is so much better than Louisiana or Texas, way more bang for your buck! I could go on forever about how great it is but there’s only so much time. Keep the videos coming.

I go wheeling to WV every weekend, beautiful place that I will love to call some day home.

I rent a two bedroom, 1 bathroom, (living room, dining room, kitchen, landry room) house with a wrap around porch, w/central heat and a 2.5 acre back yard for my kids in Wirt County, WV. My rent is $300 a month.

So I lived in Elkins,West Virginia. I found a room for$25/week in 1993. I later moved into a two room efficiency for$150/month, 1994 or so. I was a lowlife at the time. I moved rather quickly back then. There were no jobs around this area. There was incredible nature. Seriously, if a person has enough money saved up, one can easily take advantage of the opportunity available in this poor(money wise) state. I do say this in reference to Dave Chappelle talking about his father. We are not poor, we are broke.

Me and my husband are drooling to leave the Philly area for WV. We want land and for what we want.. we can literally pay half the total amount for a house and 10x the land in WV that in our area outside of Philly. Can't wait to not hear and see a highway.

Being older and living in WV has its benefits. There is the Homestead Exemption which lowers your property taxes and WV is phasing out income tax on retirement income. For 2020 90% of our income came from either social security or pensions and we had nothing with held during the year and ended up getting a $228 refund. However, property taxes can be quite high depending on the county in which you live. Here in Jefferson County we are paying close to $1400 a year for a 30 year old 4 bedroom house on one acre. However the taxes on our 2 vehicles is quite low. I am a native West Virginian who would never think of living anywhere else in the world.

Excellent interviewer and interviewee! I love WV. Thanks for sharing the economics and livability of your beautiful state.

I'm from Sissonville, West Virginia.

I feel drawn to move to Lee County,WV. My relatives of the past lived in the area...need to live in a more simplistic life style...

Thanks for the clip and very useful info no doubt...

Thanks for the info. I want to move to WV on a rural property. Right now I'm looking to see what suits me.

I am thinking of retirement in 8-10 years and looking around a place where I can afford... WV seems to be one of my choices... i like to get a taste of rural at the same time not way away from ppl... also piece of land is my life dream and a cabin in it... hopefully one day my dream will come true..

Thank you so much for the informative

I really appreciated the background music. It was great. Love that stuff!!!

Thanks for all this great information. It gives great useful info.

Nice presentation. I moved from Pa to WV last July and so far I love it. Weirton people around me welcomed me and I wish I would have moved here years ago. I want to give a shout out to Diane Lane a beautiful realtor that works with Century 21 that found me what I was looking for. A topic of concern that would be interesting to all are the local ordinances that come with properties. I think a dash cam view of towns etc. and a brief history of the area would really be nice. Looking forward to viewing more from you and your associate.

Thanks for this

I live near Huntington and my wife and I both have good jobs and our rent is decent for a 4 bedroom house.

Really enjoying your videos! Planning to buy a little house in the country sometime in the next few years and WV is definitely at the top of my list. Keep the videos coming!😃💕

Great info. I am in Nc now but hope to move back home to southern Wva. Thanks for your info.

Very informative! Thank you! I live in Southern IL.

Thankyou so much for this information! Whoopwhoop😁

Good information. Thank You

Great video! Thanks for sharing:)

Hey Ya'll!! Let's do an updated video on this for 23-24? Things have changed so much in 2 years. Plus with MVP finishing? Just a thought. Thank you so much for the information.

Very informative! Hoping to see more from you.

I have to say my kids are grown, but if I had to spend $1,500.00 a month on daycare I might as well stay home and babysit them myself.

If you are an AEP customer you can expect to pay $300-$600 a month in the winter for electricity if you have electric heat. They are always asking for a rate increase. That’s one reason I moved to Alabama. Even with the extreme heat in the summer and all the tornados I never had a power bill over $130 a month.

Not from there but I love WV. It makes me feel happy and sad at the same time every time I go. I worry about the catch 22 it is currently in. It desperately needs a youthful injection of life to its current population, as well as an economic reinvention to survive -- but will only get that from outside of the state and this will completely change its culture and everything I love about it.

Just returned from my first trip to WV, really liked it and looking forward to returning to check out other areas.

Thanks to your guest for being so candid, and I found this video to be very informative. I work from home (from an L.A based company) and have a 7 year old daughter. I grew up in L.A/CA, and since 5 years ago I've lived in OKC. I do love it here, but I yearn for more green. I'm looking for a higher populated town/city (but not L.A population--or the L.A stress). I'm looking at Vermont and WV. Thank you for all the info, again. Looking forward to my daughter enjoying more nature at her fingertips. Thank you again.

Currently live in Ohio, literally 2 miles from WV, just across the river. Now that job is nearly 100% work from home, wife and I are looking to move across the river. Finding a rural home with decent internet seems to be the biggest challenge. That, and finding a house with an acre or two, but under $100k. Still looking, though....would love to make the move!

Keep up the good work

Your videos are great! I'm in Vermont and thinking of relocating. There are not many young people or jobs here and the cost of living is super high! We will be retirees. Anyway thanks for all your effort it must take to make these vids!!

Am in Huntington food prices are high and there is a lot of people that will help you with food am a prayer warrior and I never smoked or drank or any drugs and no soda

we are taking a trip to the morgantown area in a couple weeks to see if it is somewhere we would like to live. we are currently in florida and it has become overcrowded.

The remote workers program is a nice little start, but if WV really wants to attract business and workers, then look at what DE, FL, TX and TN have done. 3 have no state income tax and the fourth has no sales tax. DE is also has very business friendly incorporation laws and a special court just for business issues. WV has a large inventory of empty commercial properties and I mean small, medium and large facilities with excellent rail and interstate access. You have 2 very important Senators right now. They need to do like old Robert Byrd and start wielding some of that power on WV's behalf. Time for city, county and state politicians in WV to realize that King Coal is not coming back (to line their pockets) and the men that they tried to keep from doing other jobs are leaving in droves. They have kept factories and stores out of their areas and in the end they hurt the people. Time to replace politicians who have been in office forever. It is also time to home grow jobs so that folks can stay, earn a living and keep the money in WV. Mark Bowe at the Boneyard is a good example. He often showcases other WV businesses and has increased the number of employees in his cabin building business. Time for WV to think outside the box!

I currently live in California. I have land in Lewis County so I plan on moving there within the next year. I look forward to more of your videos.

My buddy bought 3 houses on the same block for $25,000 …. One for $5,000 and the other 2 for $10,000 a piece so he lives in one an rents the other two out plus they were all move in ready home that needed little repairs.

Can't wait to retire to WV

I live in Ohio across the Ohio River from West Virginia. I go over there for healthcare. Prices are alot less then where I live in Ohio.

Another wonderful educational video. I have to rent first before I get the town I want to live.

I love your videos. Please do an episode on WV towns or zip codes to avoid buying real estate because of pollution. Coal ash ponds, water contamination, toxic environment.

Thank you very much Amanda this is helpful But there is something important we need help in it is the jobs.

Florida was cheaper especially once you take in no personal income and property taxes. Just don't expect to live on the beach or the most popular areas directly. I lived in the panhandle it was extremely well priced vs the Morgantown-Clarksburg area or the Eastern Panhandle.

Thank you both for a very informative, interesting and well-delivered video. I am not sure of the timeline, but I am definitely considering a move to your beautiful State. It seems like there is so much to do there and the housing prices are very attractive. As a retiree, I am still doing the math on what the State would take as far as deductions and whatnot. You both covered a lot of topics in just a little over 20 minutes but you did a very good job on all of the subjects presented. I would be interested in a video on taxes as I am getting some confusing information online. At any rate, thank you for your time and efforts in putting this up; I truly appreciate it and look forward to more of your videos. By the way, the very best of luck in your new joint venture! All the best to you both!

FYI, prices are waaaay cheaper than Las Vegas

visit my friend twice a year in monroe county and love it. looking for some land to buy to put my motorhome on.

I came here searching for the $12,000 payments for people that move to WV 😂 smart idea during this work from home era

We try and get everything at Aldi‘s all these whatever you call it very few items at Walmart anymore the prices at Walmart are freaking high now and getting higher every day and we have chickens for eggs because now that’s going sky high as well

I'll be moving to an apartment in WV in april of this year. Can't wait to start looking at property maybe I'll look up Katie Stewart

I am under contract for a property in Mount Nebo. Thanks for the videos!

Water bills are outrageous here. In South Carolina average water and sewer bill combined was $35. In Charleston it’s averaged $90 plus another $90 for sewage. Even in the desert of Arizona water bills are not this high. Why do we pay among the highest water rates in the country?

It looks like a great place to live but im too old and tied down in Arkansas. However i can see now if for some reason i could i would build a apartment complex, day care and a grocery store within walking distance.

I am moving to Huntington next year

Wow! Day care is the Same.

I am very interested moving to charleston WV but i have worries about buying a house getting a job and settling down Can you briefly go over how people from other states can get settled? Avg house cost , kinds of jobs available and state benefits to help people settled in WV

come to Berkeley county.. you'll get an education on the price of Real estate...better have deep pockets....we are no longer the agriculture/horticulture area we were when I was growing up in the 50s/60s.... we are now closing in as the most populated county in the state.

Keep in mind, all homes and properties are not as inexpensive as what they are stating in this video …Homes are still lower than many areas of the united states, so you do get more for your money here even on larger, more expensive homes, as well.

Unfortunately, there aren't many good jobs in Wv

Lately I've been seriously considering moving down south. Currently live in northeast sask. Just can't stand the 7 months of winter and only 3 months of summer anymore. I feel like I'm wasting my life away living here. Not sure how farming in wv compares to sask though. Farms in the states seem to be a lot smaller than they are here.

How is the healthcare ? Especially for seniors? What’s the best city to retire with good nearby hospitals and medical centers?

I'm a single disabled mother of two teenagers and a small town of Sophia right outside of Beckley city limits in West Virginia in southern West Virginia and I wish I paid yalls bills. Cuz my bills are nothing like what y'all are saying we have a 70 ft 3 bedroom mobile home with two baths and I do very little laundry we got rid of our dishwasher we don't have no leaks the water bill is 120 the sewer bill is separate and different town with the same account number as our water bill and they charge you $25 whether you have water service or not they will turn off your water if you don't pay your sewer bill and our sewage fights go into a creek so how we have sewer I don't understand the electric bill I think the lowest it has been is 300 the highest it has been with us living in the dark was 7 or 800 but that's only because they gal just horribly and the rent average is anywhere from $700 to 900 we also have the backwoods politics if you're not popular in the area that we live in you get harassed but if you are buddy buddy with the older men in our town then you get away with pretty much ripping people off and our town mayor has been the same mayor the 13 years that I've moved back to West Virginia watching this video has made me realize that I moved into the wrong county because I live on a fixed income and I think the most we have spent in food for a family of three is maybe 250 $300 and that's pushing it and going without stuff robbing from Peter to pay Paul and a good bit of time mom not getting to eat because the kids need to eat and buying a house down here is ungodly they say there's plans out there for people like me and my family but there's not not really and getting assistance it's like pulling teeth of a tiger just as soon as you think that you're going to be able to get your head above water The ripped assistance away saying you make too much money but your bills aren't all counted and if you're on something like child support if it's not on a scheduled payment and it fluctuates our counties assistance office wants you to come down weekly to change your information so they don't overpay you assistance even if you don't have a car and if you don't have a car they make it even harder on you and our taxi services in our county before you even get in the taxi cab because the town we live in is maybe 5 minutes from actual Beckley the taxi services charge you $30 before you ever get in the car to come from Beckley to my home and then to go 2.5 mi to Walmart it is another $20 that's just one trip that's not even coming home and then you have a problem of they will pick up more than one person which gets your groceries mixed up or they will leave you sitting outside with all said groceries for an hour or two thank you guys for posting this video but I'm realizing I live in the wrong part of the state obviously and I shared all this because not all places are as nice as where y'all are at I love my home state don't get me wrong I was born here I will probably die here but I wish it was as nice as other people in other areas have it or the way it used to be back in the day when I was a kid where people truly did have a community like you guys got where everybody cared about everybody and neighbors helped neighbors and if you could help a mom like me get property of our own to where we can have a garden and someone that would actually work with a hard-working single mom instead of trying to charge them an ungodly amount of interest and pretty much try to take advantage of them leaving no money whatsoever to even pay for a ride to take your kids to the doctor I am more than willing to work my butt off as much as I possibly can from a wheelchair there's times that my 15-year-old daughter cries because I have to work so hard to make sure that they can even have a birthday cake sometimes but if you have any tips on how to buy property and be able to still breathe and eat I am all ears what do I need to do you are my military captain and I am a private teach me LOL oh and speaking of winter months the area where we live is powered by Black diamond power and I know not this past winter but the winter before that our power bill mind you we were using propane Workman heaters because our heat went out the central heat went out with two energy saving electric room heaters like the ones on Wheels The Big box ones and two propane heaters I was having to go every two weeks and fill up our propane tanks because we had to stop or not really stop but slow up on the electric heaters and move to more littler like small small toilet and stand-up shower bathroom size ceramic heaters and put them right beside like not in fire range but right close to the bed or even on a nightstand with nothing around it because our power bill went up to $1,500 and there was seven families that I have spoken to personally that their bill was anywhere from $800 to I think one of them was even $2,500 power bill and people were still getting sick from being cold in the winter time the power company even cut our power off in the dead of winter the last big bad winter we got the power company cut my power off with me being a short patient and disabled my 18-year-old son is a congestive heart failure patient and me and him both have CPAP machines my daughter has a nebulizer for her asthma and they cut our power off and refuse to work with me even when the pandemic happened they told DHHR who was trying to get help to get our power paid that they would turn our power off and shut it off even though the president said they were not allowed to this is the area that we live in so please people definitely check into where you move to before you set up roots ask around to the community you're moving into to the neighbors to find out what kind of power company you have cuz I would have never moved here in this area where we live now if I would have known that black diamond power gouge the way they do they've been ordered by the courts to pay money back to people and cuz they were patting the bills and it was a big thing in the news well I know I was one of those customers at the time that they were patting the bills and I know my bills were padded because there was like 3 months that we were not home everything was shut off and our power bill was still through the roof there's no way if you cut the main breaker in your breaker box and nothing's on then how do you run up power they were told by the courts and ordered to pay the money back to the customers they stole from but I know four of my friends personally have gotten stupid reimbursement checks for like I think one was five dollars which obviously was not the correct amount another one got a money order from the power company for 50 cents yeah LOL they actually paid $2 for a money order for 50 cents and majority of the rest of it they said it was a donation to the power company and this is the same company that was awarded through this pandemic roughly don't quote me I think it was 78 million because of their 20% discount program I feel off on that 78 million but I know it's way up there cuz everything they've lost they've literally filed a court case saying that they were losing a deficit of money because they gave the 20% program to their customers so the state awarded them the difference for them giving their customers a break of 20% on their bill which when you really look at it with them patting the bills is not any kind of discount they're getting the money twice sorry I went on a rant but if I don't go on these rants when people are talking about this stuff in this area or in the state I feel like nobody's going to hear it and people are just going to continue to get hurt and it's not right no matter where you live it's not right and maybe somebody reading this long atrocious comments maybe able to help people like me maybe able to help the other parents that I know that are struggling to make ends meet working three and four jobs both parents alternating out jobs and the kids really are the ones losing out because the family time can't be there it's a parents have to break their backs just to survive maybe one of your viewers know somebody that knows somebody that see something wrong with what I said or something that they're doing that's illegal and maybe able to help the people this community we surely need it sorry and thank y'all for doing a video about the stuff I love y'all's video

18:37... I have a buddy that has a house in Connecticut... 4 bed, 3.5 bath, 3200 sq ft on 1/3 of an acre. He pays $1200 in property tax... a month.

What part of the state is good for homesteading

And the factories Wv throws everywhere

800 to 1000 us EXPENSIVE I pay 750.00 a month that includes water and sewage near Virginia Beach Vs. I want to move home to WV but now wonder if its feasible. I want to live as much off the grid as possible

Small? I used to live in a mobile home. It was so small, I put my key in the front door, and I busted out my back window! Now that's small!

$600 a year in property taxes.... i pay more than that per month for taxes on 1000 SF and .13 acres

crying in NYC

I would like to buy a duplex out there, rent out one side and live in the other. I can do 20-50% down, depending on the price …. I’d like for us to connect in the next few months to get the search going.

Are the campgrounds open this time of the year If so how much a night

you have kinda read my mind when all of a sudden you started talking about taxes... lol

What would these costs look like in Fayette or Raleigh County? That's where my parents were originally from.

I'm VERY VERY Surprised in a NEGATIVE Way. The lady said a 2 Bedroom would Rent for 800.00_ to as Much as 1100.00. Hundred!*! That's the SAME Prices that are in my Local Area which is Eastern N.C. Between Greenville a d Rocky MOUNT NC. I was Hoping it would be At Least 200 Dollars LESS. And I'd move there.

I really like WV. Used to live next door in VA. Id move there and farm but there no cultural diversity. I really like the diversity, culture and infrastructure in my current state and other eastern states. Plus more than half the population is dirt poor so trying to bring my business there or start a farm would kinda be pointless. No one can afford anything. But it sure is pretty.

Here in Indiana. I don't have to pay property taxes anyone because we are on S.S. And we have the homesteading thing going on. Does WV do the same thing.

What about Pineville and Wyoming area?

Y is the background music sound like my cell phone ring tone😂

I would love to buy a mountain, build a log cabin and retire.

I have an adult daughter with multiple disabilities. Are there day programs that she can attend within WV?

Actually driving up from Florida in the morning, looking at a house in Poca, WV

Thanks what is sales tax in the state

As a truck driver ive been recently running to WV...from PA..i only go as far as Inwood but i love it..im widowed and want to get rid of my house and move on...i dont want to buy at 59 years old..a trailer that would accept my two dogs would be great..any suggestions???

Is there any property tax in vehicle in WV?

Do they have apartments in Parkersburg West Virginia ,and are they affordable ? I am suppose to move in a few mnths.

Hey I’m attending bluefield state college and I’m playing on the football team. Me and my gf is moving up July 26 and we been looking for places to rent could you help me out or give me info?

So, your vehicle is subject to a personal property tax by the state there?

State incentives or help with relocation.

I’m in the most expensive area in the country (they did an actual study and our cost of living to income ratio is worse than San Fran) and my husband and I want OUT!!! Wv is the spot we’ve landed on. I do makeup and permanent makeup for a living though, I’m not sure how sustainable that would be there. Any thoughts? I just want my homestead and some income and I don’t care what I do, but it’s easier doing what you already know.

Katie why does,Charollett Virginia, continue to decline in population, I am moving to your area. Thanks

I’m moving to West Virginia this May what should I know?

vehicles are being taxed yearly?! you mean I have to pay taxes on my car as I do on my house, yearly? are you sure?

As a WV native I would like to point out. Anyone who moves here is welcome if they blend in. But just like Texas and Florida, if you move here from a blue state leave your blue state politics behind. West Virginiaians love God, family, freedom, patorietism, our American flag, police, children, and guns. If you like all of these you'll do fine. And please no lame WV jokes we don't like them.

I live in West Virginia and I for one can say if cost of living is anyone's reason for moving here you'd be better off finding another state. This place sucks.

it’s Expensive living cost for food 🍱 💯 dollars for pearson

Fyi I live in west Virginia