Cost of living in Princeton, West Virginia

Princeton, West Virginia has about 5,736 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $120,300.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Mercer County is $946 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Princeton. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

West Virginia's prices sit at 89.5 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

West Virginia taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.6% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Princeton's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical West Virginia home paid 15.78¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Princeton's bill.

EIA does not publish a West Virginia gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in West Virginia shares this price.

Among 128 places we list in West Virginia with a rent figure, 89 have higher typical rent than Princeton.