Charleston vs Lexington
The short version
- Charleston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Lexington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $203,300 in Charleston and $293,500 in Lexington.
- Households earn more in Lexington ($69,479 vs $65,812 median).
- Charleston gets far more snow: 32 inches a year vs 15.
- Lexington is growing faster: +2.2% since 2020 vs -5.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Charleston (17 vs 21 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Charleston, WV | Lexington, KY | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 46,117 | 329,751 |
| Growth since 2020 | -5.5% | +2.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,469 | 1,162 |
| Median age | 43.0 | 35.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45% | 48% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,812 | $69,479 |
| Median home value | $203,300 | $293,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $908 | $1,164 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 88.7 | 92.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 51.4 | 77.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,500 | $69,700 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 4.82% | 3.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.9 | 20.9 |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 15.8% | 14.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 26° | 42° / 25° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 87° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 15 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 24 | 25 |
| Nights below freezing | 94 | 90 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.5 | 92.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 77% | 73% |
| Home prices, past year | +10.5% | +6.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.1% | +52.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Charleston: April and August to October. Lexington: April and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Charleston weather by month and Lexington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $66,500 in Charleston and $69,700 in Lexington. Moving from Charleston to Lexington, you would need about $78,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Charleston and Lexington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Charleston and Lexington.
Which would you pick?
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