North Carolina has a cost of living index of 84 (US average = 100) with a median household income of $64,537 and a population of 6,600,402. We ranked 15 cities based on affordability, income, housing value, and climate to find the best places to call home in North Carolina.
Rolesville is 3% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $148,250 and a population of 10,200.
Summerfield is 8% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $151,131 and a population of 11,031.
Wake Forest is 14% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $120,777 and a population of 51,199.
Concord is 2% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $84,752 and a population of 106,518.
Anderson Creek is 9% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $86,661 and a population of 14,021.
Cary is 27% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $129,399 and a population of 176,686.
Fayetteville is 18% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $56,395 and a population of 209,692.
Winterville is 4% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $82,783 and a population of 10,624.
Wendell is 3% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $93,848 and a population of 11,585.
Mebane is 8% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $84,312 and a population of 18,899.
Greensboro is 16% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $58,884 and a population of 298,564.
Apex is 31% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $138,442 and a population of 67,765.
Clemmons is 7% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $84,326 and a population of 21,574.
Winston-Salem is 20% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $57,673 and a population of 250,887.
Lewisville is 13% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $84,424 and a population of 13,655.
Our livability score combines four data-driven factors: affordability (35% — cost of living index relative to national average), income (25% — median household income from the Census Bureau), housing value (15% — home price to income ratio), and climate (15% — NOAA temperature normals favoring moderate climates). Population serves as a proxy for amenities (10%).
Only cities with at least 5,000–10,000 residents are included. Data sourced from the US Census Bureau, Zillow, HUD, and NOAA.