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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cary might not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of affordability in North Carolina, but the numbers don't lie. With a median income of $129,399 — 61% above the national median — paired with a cost index of just 96, it delivers purchasing power that most cities can't match. That tr…
#1 Ranked: Cary — cost index 96, rent $1,649/mo, income $129,399
Cary: high income, low cost — a rare combo
9 of 9 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Cary might not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of affordability in North Carolina, but the numbers don't lie. With a median income of $129,399 — 61% above the national median — paired with a cost index of just 96, it delivers purchasing power that most cities can't match. That tracks. We analyzed 9 cities using 2026 data from the Census Bureau, Zillow, and BLS to assemble this ranking.
Cary is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,649/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 96. Income sits at $129,399. That's more or less in line with the region.
In plain English: Value = income ÷ cost index. The national benchmark ratio is 724. Cary delivers 1348 — 86% more purchasing power per dollar earned. This metric catches cities that expensive-but-high-paying rankings miss: a $90K salary in a city with index 80 buys more than $120K in a city with index 150.
Bottom line: Cary 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.
| Rank | City | Value Ratio | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cary | 1,348 | 96 | $1,649 | Details |
| 2 | Raleigh | 896 | 92 | $1,567 | Details |
| 3 | Durham | 825 | 96 | $1,651 | Details |
| 4 | Charlotte | 784 | 100 | $1,705 | Details |
| 5 | Greensboro | 727 | 81 | $1,382 | Details |
| 6 | High Point | 712 | 86 | $1,469 | Details |
| 7 | Winston-Salem | 687 | 84 | $1,445 | Details |
| 8 | Fayetteville | 679 | 83 | $1,426 | Details |
| 9 | Wilmington | 652 | 98 | $1,670 | Details |
180,010 residents · North Carolina
Cary is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,649/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 96. Income sits at $129,399. That alone makes it worth considering.
482,295 residents · North Carolina
Straight up: So, Raleigh. Cost index of 92, rent at $1,567/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $82,424, which is above average. That's a reasonable number.
296,186 residents · North Carolina
Here's Durham by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And broadly, cost index: 96. Rent: $1,651/month. Income: $79,234/year. Home price: $393,151. Population: 296,186. The strongest category is Housing at 96; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,928 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of stat homebuyers should print out for their mortgage meetings. An outlier in the best sense.
911,311 residents · North Carolina
Look, So, Charlotte. Cost index of 100, rent at $1,705/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $78,438, which is below the national median. It's fine. Not great, not bad.
302,296 residents · North Carolina
Greensboro is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,382/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 81. Income sits at $58,884. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious.
Value ratio = median household income ÷ cost of living index. A higher ratio means each dollar of income buys more locally. This captures purchasing power better than looking at income or cost alone. 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.
Cary ranks #1 in North Carolina for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of $129,399.
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.
Cary (ranked #1) has a cost index of 96 and rent of $1,649/mo, while Wilmington (ranked #9) has a cost index of 98 and rent of $1,670/mo — a 2-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 Cary is $1,649/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $246 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Cary is $620,401, which is 4.8× 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.