Charleston vs Pittsburgh
The short version
- Charleston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Pittsburgh area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $203,300 in Charleston and $205,800 in Pittsburgh.
- Charleston has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 36°F.
- Pittsburgh gets far more snow: 44 inches a year vs 32.
- Pittsburgh is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -5.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Charleston (17 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Charleston, WV | Pittsburgh, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 46,117 | 307,632 |
| Growth since 2020 | -5.5% | +1.5% |
| People per square mile | 1,469 | 5,556 |
| Median age | 43.0 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45% | 49% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,812 | $65,742 |
| Median home value | $203,300 | $205,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $908 | $1,261 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 88.7 | 94.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 51.4 | 72.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,500 | $71,000 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 48% |
| Top state income tax | 4.82% | 3.07% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.6% | 6.34% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.9 | 22.7 |
| Work from home | 13% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 12% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 15.8% | 20.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 26° | 36° / 21° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 40 in |
| Snowfall per year | 32 in | 44 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 24 | 10 |
| Nights below freezing | 94 | 114 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.5 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 77% | 43% |
| Home prices, past year | +10.5% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.1% | +36.7% |
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. Pittsburgh: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Charleston weather by month and Pittsburgh 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 $71,000 in Pittsburgh. Moving from Charleston to Pittsburgh, you would need about $80,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Charleston and Pittsburgh
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 Pittsburgh.
Which would you pick?
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