True Cost of Renting in Morgantown

Morgantown is home to West Virginia University (WVU, 27,000+ students) and has a character distinct from the rest of the state — a college town with craft breweries, walkable neighborhoods, and a younger demographic. The WVU Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is America's only operational automated people mover connecting the downtown and university campuses. Rents are low by national college-town standards.

Neighborhoods & Average Rents

Sunnyside / Downtown

Studio:
$750/mo
1 Bed:
$1,000/mo
2 Bed:
$1,450/mo

Student-dominated neighborhood adjacent to WVU campus on High Street; bars, restaurants, and proximity to the Evansdale campus via PRT. High August turnover. Appalachian Power electric. Older apartment stock with variable insulation.

Sabraton / East Morgantown

1 Bed:
$950/mo
2 Bed:
$1,350/mo

Suburban neighborhoods east of Downtown near the Mon County Airport; mix of older homes and newer apartment complexes. Car-dependent. Good access to I-68 east toward Maryland and the I-79 south toward Clarksburg.

Utility Providers

Electric
Appalachian Power (AEP)
Water
Morgantown Utility Board
Internet
Comcast Xfinity, Frontier Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet

Commute & Transportation

I-79 connects Morgantown to Charleston (south) and Pittsburgh, PA (north, 75 miles). I-68 provides east-west access to Maryland. The PRT automated transit system connects Downtown, WVU evansdale campus, and the hospital complex. WVU and WVU Medicine (Ruby Memorial Hospital) are the dominant employers. Mylan Pharmaceuticals (Viatris) has its global headquarters in Morgantown, providing pharmaceutical industry employment.

Rental Market Overview

Morgantown's rental market is driven by WVU enrollment. Rents are low by national college-town standards. Appalachian Power rates are competitive. The Sunnyside neighborhood near campus is extremely student-oriented with high turnover; families and professionals prefer Sabraton or Star City. WVU Medicine's growth as a regional hospital has created healthcare worker demand that diversifies beyond the student market. Renters insurance averages $10–13/month. West Virginia has no state-level rent control, so the sharp August turnover described above is not softened by any legal renewal cap. Mylan's global headquarters presence is genuinely unusual for a city this size — most college towns of Morgantown's population have no comparable Fortune 500-adjacent employer, which gives the local professional rental market a floor that pure student-housing towns like many others in Appalachia do not have. The PRT people-mover is also a rare enough piece of infrastructure that it is worth checking a specific address against its actual stations before assuming walkable access, since coverage is limited to the original campus corridor rather than the whole city.

Data last updated: 2026-04

Compare Apartments in Morgantown

Enter your rental options below to see the true all-in monthly cost.

Renting in Morgantown: Common Questions

What is the average rent in Morgantown?
One-bedroom apartments in Morgantown range from $950/month in Sabraton / East Morgantown to $1,000/month in Sunnyside / Downtown. Two-bedroom units range from $1,350 to $1,450/month. These are base rents — add fees, utilities, and amenity costs to get the true all-in monthly cost.
What utilities do I need to set up in Morgantown?
In Morgantown, electricity is provided by Appalachian Power (AEP), water by Morgantown Utility Board, and common internet providers include Comcast Xfinity, Frontier Fiber, T-Mobile Home Internet. Ask the leasing office for the specific unit's average monthly bill rather than a city-wide figure — utility costs vary more by building age and insulation than by location within Morgantown.
What neighborhoods are affordable in Morgantown?
Sabraton / East Morgantown is the most affordable of the 2 Morgantown neighborhoods covered here, at $950/month for a one-bedroom — $50 less than Sunnyside / Downtown, roughly a 5% gap. That swing is often bigger than any fee or amenity difference between two buildings in the same neighborhood, which is why comparing across neighborhoods matters as much as comparing within one.
Is Morgantown expensive to rent in?
Across the 2 neighborhoods covered here, the average one-bedroom in Morgantown runs about $975/month before fees, utilities, and amenities are added — and those add-ons are exactly what a bare average hides. Morgantown's rental market is driven by WVU enrollment. Run the specific units you are considering through RentCompare to see the true all-in monthly cost rather than relying on an area average.

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