Study shows West Virginia has the lowest bills; but is living really cheaper?

MORGANTOWN - A recent study showed that West Virginia has the lowest monthly bills among the 50 states. That’s good news - in a way.

As Lauren Weatherford, a WVU Extension associate professor, pointed out, "You have to look at the data in context. You can’t look at the data as an individual factor."

The figures come from Doxo.com’s 2025 U.S. Household Bill Pay Report and were reported by UtilityRates.com. Doxo.com, among other things, offers an app to manage and pay all household bills. UtilityRates.com helps residents of states with deregulated utilities find the best costs and services.

The study showed that median monthly bills in West Virginia are $1,984. Wyoming ranked 49th, at $2,356. At the top end, California, New Jersey and Hawaii all have median monthly bills topping $4,000 - at $4,193, $4,036 and $4,028, respectively.

And West Virginia’s neighbors: Maryland, 8th, $3,570; Virginia, 13th, $3,256; Pennsylvania, $2,805; Ohio, 41st, $2,545; Kentucky, $2,482.

The study looks at bills in 13 categories. It doesn’t include groceries or clothing - which aren’t bills paid online or through an app.

Here is a glimpse at the 13 categories, where West Virginia ranks, and those costs: mortgage, 50th, $1,019; rent. 50th, $870; auto loans, 50th, $165; cable/internet, 43rd, $105; electric, 24th, $121; auto insurance, 49th, $70; mobile phone, 43rd, $87; water/sewer, 47th, $59; alarm/security, 1st, $110; health insurance, 27th, $75; natural gas, 34th, $71; waste/recycling, 48th, $44; life insurance, 27th, $58.

Those numbers may look nothing like yours; keep in mind they are median numbers - the exact middle of the range of bills in each category. Note that West Virginia is cheapest in the areas of mortgage, rent and auto loans. Alarm/security is the most expensive, and electric bills are in the top half of the 50 states.

Karl Trollinger, UtilityRates.com CEO, acknowledges that the study and their report on it doesn’t compare household income to bills. Their company focus is helping people look at their utility, cable and cellphone bills.

"You can drive down costs, you can shop," he said. You can shop for insurance, cellphones, cable and electricity in deregulated states. West Virginia’s neighbors Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania are among the 15 states where residents can choose among providers.

Most people don’t shop, he said. "The system is built for people to just kind of stick around." Their providers incrementally raise prices and hope people don’t notice. "It takes just five minutes to look at your bill and switch."

Looking at how monthly bills apply overall pressure to a household, he said. "Utility bills are the canary in the coal mine." When people stop paying their utility bills, their mortgage, their car loan, these are indicators of inflation, indicators of what is stressing the system.

Trollinger also talked about credit insecurity. Areas with high electric rates also wrestle with credit insecurity. He elaborated on that in the report on the study.

"Household bills are one of the biggest pressures on monthly budgets, and this study shows just how dramatically those costs can vary depending on where you live," he said. "What makes the issue more challenging is that many Americans are already balancing record levels of borrowing. ... That means for many households, rising monthly bills are landing at a time when existing financial commitments are already stretched."

The pressure doesn’t come from just a single bill, he told The Dominion Post, but the combined weight of all of them. That’s why shopping around is important, if you can. "How can we help people save money and understand the choices that they make in order to manage their budgets."

Weatherford referred to a study done by The Calculator Site and reported in various media in March. The study compared utility costs to average salaries in each of the 50 states, and West Virginia ranked worst, with residents paying the highest share of their wages on utilities: 16.29%, well above the national average of 12.61%.

"That’s kind of the rub all the time," she said. "I would say that the devil’s in the details." Look deeper than just one or two factors.

For instance, she said, West Virginia has among the highest rates of homeownership. "But what are the homes that we own?"

The state has among the highest rates of inherited property, which affects property value statistics based on sales. And homes are smaller: on average 1,747 square feet compared to the national average of 2,300.

Average home values are mid-range, about $229,000 compared to $175,000 to $265,000 across the U.S. But she thinks Morgantown, Charleston and the Eastern Panhandle skew our statewide average up a bit.

Cable and internet bills for West Virginians are relatively low, but many don’t have that, she said. Car insurance runs low because most of the state is rural and rural rates run lower because of fewer accidents.

West Virginia may have a lower cost of living, she said. "That doesn’t mean it’s easier. ... West Virginia is an absolutely wonderful place to live. It’s a hard place to stay."

Salary.com reports that West Virginia’s cost of living is 15% below the national average, at $2,104 per month for singles and $4,632 for families of four.

Charleston and Beckley have the highest cost of living index numbers, at 101.26% and 100.46% of the national average, respectively. Parkersburg stands at 97.7%. Morgantown, Fairmont and Wheeling are all tied at 96.4%.