Cost of living by state
Weighing a move? Compare any two states side by side — cost of living, taxes, and demographics — then pick your specialty to see what that salary is really worth once it's adjusted for local prices. Green means cheaper or better; red means pricier or worse.
Overall cost of living
West Virginia is 14.1% cheaper overall than New Hampshire.
What Physician Assistant pay is really worth
Median pay → estimated after-tax take-home → adjusted for each state's cost of living.
New Hampshire
- Median pay
- $150,150
- After tax
- $113,381
$108,811worth here
West Virginia
- Median pay
- $128,830
- After tax
- $93,437
$104,399worth here
Pay source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — “Physician Assistants”.
Take-home is an estimate for a single filer taking the standard deduction (federal + FICA + state income tax, wages only) — not tax advice.
| Metric | New Hampshire | West Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living (US avg = 100) | ||
| Overall cost of living | 104.2 | 89.5 |
| Housing (rent) | 114.9 | 54.2 |
| Utilities | 133.7 | 92.2 |
| Goods | 98.6 | 96.5 |
| Other services | 103.9 | 99.9 |
| Taxes | ||
| Top income tax rate | 0% | 4.82% |
| Sales tax (avg) | 0% | 6.57% |
| Property tax (effective) | 1.41% | 0.48% |
| About the state | ||
| Population | 1,387,834 | 1,784,462 |
| Median household income | $95,628 | $57,917 |
| Median age | 43.2 | 42.7 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.50% | 74.30% |
| Median home value | $367,200 | $155,600 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities (2024) · U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts · Tax Foundation. Figures are the latest published; cost-of-living is a price-level index, not tax-adjusted take-home pay.
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VitalPost shows sourced, public data for context only — it isn't financial or tax advice. Cost-of-living is a price-level index (US average = 100); taxes shown are statewide/averaged and don't capture local income or the specifics of your situation.