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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. And roughly speaking, our model scored 9 cities in North Carolina on solo-living metrics. Greensboro leads at index 94 with rent of $1,382/mo.
No second income to fall back on. And roughly speaking, our model scored 9 cities in North Carolina on solo-living metrics. Greensboro leads at index 94 with rent of $1,382/mo.
Here's Greensboro by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,382/month. Income: $58,884/year. Home price: $261,036. Population: 302,296. The strongest category is Housing at 85; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,156 per year vs. the national median. That tracks. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
Bottom line: Greensboro leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Greensboro — cost index 94, rent $1,382/mo, income $58,884
Greensboro rent up 3% over the past year
Singles scoring: rent $1,382/mo (solo housing), cost index 94, population 302,296 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greensboro | 94 | $1,382 | Details |
| 2 | Winston-Salem | 95 | $1,445 | Details |
| 3 | Fayetteville | 93 | $1,426 | Details |
| 4 | High Point | 95 | $1,469 | Details |
| 5 | Charlotte | 105 | $1,705 | Details |
| 6 | Raleigh | 105 | $1,567 | Details |
| 7 | Durham | 104 | $1,651 | Details |
| 8 | Cary | 115 | $1,649 | Details |
| 9 | Wilmington | 105 | $1,670 | Details |
302,296 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Greensboro's numbers: cost index 94 (18 points below national average), rent $1,382/month, income $58,884, and a home price of $261,036. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 85, while Healthcare runs 97. With 302,296 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. That's not nothing.
252,975 residents · North Carolina
Winston-Salem earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 95 cost index sits 17 points below the national baseline, and the $57,673 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $260,277 — $207,093 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. That tracks. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 87, while Healthcare trails at 98.
209,749 residents · North Carolina
Fayetteville earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 93 cost index sits 19 points below the national baseline, and the $56,395 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $222,766 — $244,604 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 82, while Healthcare trails at 96.
116,926 residents · North Carolina
Why High Point ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. And as a general rule, at 95 on the cost index, residents save roughly 17% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,469/month while the median household pulls in $61,228/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 87, though Healthcare (98) lags behind. Home prices average $246,725 — $220,645 below the national median.
911,311 residents · North Carolina
Dive into Charlotte's numbers: cost index 105 (7 points below national average), rent $1,705/month, income $78,438, and a home price of $393,846. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 97, while Housing runs 113. As a major city with 911,311 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Greensboro ranks #1 in North Carolina for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $58,884.
Greensboro scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,382/mo, and competitive median income of $58,884.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Greensboro (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,382/mo, while Wilmington (ranked #9) has a cost index of 105 and rent of $1,670/mo — a 11-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Greensboro is $1,382/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $513 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Greensboro is $261,036, which is 4.4× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
North Carolina has a 4.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.98%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.7%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.