North Carolina: RPP components
BEA 2024 regional context; each category is compared with its own U.S. = 100 benchmark. These are not county price estimates or spending shares.
Black marker: U.S. benchmark = 100 in each row.
LivingCostFacts / state
North Carolina cost of living
North Carolina has an all-items price parity of 94.3 on the U.S. = 100 scale. Compare the statewide picture with county rents and metro price levels.
BEA 2024 · HUD FY2027 · ACS 2020–2024 · CPI through 2026-10
94.3
All-items price level
BEA 2024; U.S. = 100
$72,388
Median household income
ACS 2020–2024
$288,900
Median home value
Owner-occupied homes, ACS 2020–2024
$1,441
Typical 2BR benchmark
Population-weighted county FMR, FY2027
Read the local picture
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) compare prices across places in the same year. An index of 110 means prices are 10% above the U.S. level; 90 means 10% below. RPP measures relative price levels, while CPI measures price change over time.
Put the benchmark in context
Fair Market Rent (FMR) is HUD’s estimate of the 40th percentile gross rent for standard-quality rental homes occupied by recent movers. It includes rent and most tenant-paid utilities. A household’s actual rent can differ substantially by neighborhood, lease and property.
Monthly rent by bedroom
HUD FY2027 gross monthly FMR; includes most tenant-paid utilities. Dollars per month.
Income after benchmark rent is $55,095 a year: ACS median household income minus 12 months of the population-weighted 2BR FMR. This is a comparison between separate datasets and periods, before taxes and all other expenses; it is not disposable income.
The data in view
Price levels relative to the U.S.
BEA RPP, U.S. = 100 each year. This is not an inflation index.
View chart data
| Period or category | Value |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.4 |
| 2009 | 91.3 |
| 2010 | 92.9 |
| 2011 | 93.6 |
| 2012 | 93.5 |
| 2013 | 93.7 |
| 2014 | 93.8 |
| 2015 | 93.6 |
| 2016 | 93.8 |
| 2017 | 93.0 |
| 2018 | 92.9 |
| 2019 | 91.9 |
| 2020 | 91.3 |
| 2021 | 93.7 |
| 2022 | 94.0 |
| 2023 | 94.4 |
| 2024 | 94.3 |
Price levels by category
Each category has its own U.S. benchmark of 100. Components are indexes, not spending shares.
| Category | 2024 RPP |
|---|---|
| All items | 94.3 |
| Goods | 96.6 |
| Housing rents | 81.4 |
| Utilities | 88.6 |
| Other services | 98.2 |
Monthly Fair Market Rent by bedroom
HUD 40th percentile gross rent for standard-quality units; includes tenant-paid utilities except telephone, cable and internet. These are benchmarks, not asking-rent medians.
| Home size | FY2027 monthly gross rent |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,215 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,282 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,441 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,823 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,256 |
County cost comparison
Income: ACS 2020–2024. Rent: HUD FY2027. Rent / income = 12 × 2BR FMR ÷ median household income; it does not measure actual renter burden.
| County or equivalent | 2BR rent / month | Median household income | Rent / income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | $1,348 | $65,651 | 24.6% |
| Alexander County | $1,147 | $65,354 | 21.1% |
| Alleghany County | $1,048 | $47,172 | 26.7% |
| Anson County | $1,143 | $47,302 | 29.0% |
| Ashe County | $1,012 | $56,866 | 21.4% |
| Avery County | $1,012 | $61,428 | 19.8% |
| Beaufort County | $1,012 | $58,357 | 20.8% |
| Bertie County | $1,081 | $48,750 | 26.6% |
| Bladen County | $1,012 | $42,422 | 28.6% |
| Brunswick County | $1,574 | $77,024 | 24.5% |
| Buncombe County | $1,866 | $74,436 | 30.1% |
| Burke County | $1,147 | $58,592 | 23.5% |
| Cabarrus County | $1,785 | $89,005 | 24.1% |
| Caldwell County | $1,147 | $56,425 | 24.4% |
| Camden County | $1,364 | $91,078 | 18.0% |
| Carteret County | $1,277 | $72,322 | 21.2% |
| Caswell County | $1,012 | $59,755 | 20.3% |
| Catawba County | $1,147 | $67,864 | 20.3% |
| Chatham County | $1,745 | $94,317 | 22.2% |
| Cherokee County | $1,012 | $53,628 | 22.6% |
| Chowan County | $1,331 | $53,864 | 29.7% |
| Clay County | $1,087 | $56,971 | 22.9% |
| Cleveland County | $1,014 | $58,534 | 20.8% |
| Columbus County | $1,012 | $49,442 | 24.6% |
| Craven County | $1,246 | $65,873 | 22.7% |
| Cumberland County | $1,476 | $61,291 | 28.9% |
| Currituck County | $1,667 | $93,511 | 21.4% |
| Dare County | $1,510 | $88,994 | 20.4% |
| Davidson County | $1,087 | $64,172 | 20.3% |
| Davie County | $1,332 | $75,057 | 21.3% |
| Duplin County | $1,025 | $55,148 | 22.3% |
| Durham County | $1,745 | $82,316 | 25.4% |
| Edgecombe County | $1,167 | $51,265 | 27.3% |
| Forsyth County | $1,332 | $67,165 | 23.8% |
| Franklin County | $1,689 | $74,240 | 27.3% |
| Gaston County | $1,785 | $67,478 | 31.7% |
| Gates County | $1,665 | $66,333 | 30.1% |
| Graham County | $1,012 | $49,684 | 24.4% |
| Granville County | $1,213 | $71,111 | 20.5% |
| Greene County | $1,012 | $53,244 | 22.8% |
| Guilford County | $1,271 | $68,642 | 22.2% |
| Halifax County | $1,012 | $45,590 | 26.6% |
| Harnett County | $1,051 | $71,287 | 17.7% |
| Haywood County | $1,250 | $61,912 | 24.2% |
| Henderson County | $1,866 | $68,187 | 32.8% |
| Hertford County | $1,012 | $45,537 | 26.7% |
| Hoke County | $1,150 | $64,912 | 21.3% |
| Hyde County | $1,012 | $53,713 | 22.6% |
| Iredell County | $1,429 | $81,419 | 21.1% |
| Jackson County | $1,039 | $55,815 | 22.3% |
| Johnston County | $1,689 | $83,384 | 24.3% |
| Jones County | $1,012 | $59,641 | 20.4% |
| Lee County | $1,179 | $65,387 | 21.6% |
| Lenoir County | $1,012 | $45,143 | 26.9% |
| Lincoln County | $1,138 | $80,016 | 17.1% |
| Macon County | $1,015 | $59,061 | 20.6% |
| Madison County | $1,866 | $58,531 | 38.3% |
| Martin County | $1,012 | $48,578 | 25.0% |
| McDowell County | $1,012 | $57,168 | 21.2% |
| Mecklenburg County | $1,785 | $87,005 | 24.6% |
| Mitchell County | $1,012 | $57,602 | 21.1% |
| Montgomery County | $1,012 | $57,766 | 21.0% |
| Moore County | $1,223 | $86,080 | 17.0% |
| Nash County | $1,167 | $62,426 | 22.4% |
| New Hanover County | $1,705 | $75,166 | 27.2% |
| Northampton County | $1,012 | $50,086 | 24.2% |
| Onslow County | $1,319 | $68,148 | 23.2% |
| Orange County | $1,745 | $90,089 | 23.2% |
| Pamlico County | $1,088 | $59,717 | 21.9% |
| Pasquotank County | $1,220 | $66,589 | 22.0% |
| Pender County | $1,199 | $80,396 | 17.9% |
| Perquimans County | $1,040 | $67,917 | 18.4% |
| Person County | $1,012 | $63,300 | 19.2% |
| Pitt County | $1,167 | $58,188 | 24.1% |
| Polk County | $1,012 | $67,758 | 17.9% |
| Randolph County | $1,271 | $61,022 | 25.0% |
| Richmond County | $1,012 | $44,883 | 27.1% |
| Robeson County | $1,012 | $41,978 | 28.9% |
| Rockingham County | $1,012 | $57,053 | 21.3% |
| Rowan County | $1,262 | $65,725 | 23.0% |
| Rutherford County | $1,012 | $51,410 | 23.6% |
| Sampson County | $1,012 | $52,432 | 23.2% |
| Scotland County | $1,012 | $45,730 | 26.6% |
| Stanly County | $1,012 | $60,704 | 20.0% |
| Stokes County | $1,332 | $62,969 | 25.4% |
| Surry County | $1,012 | $55,656 | 21.8% |
| Swain County | $1,012 | $52,349 | 23.2% |
| Transylvania County | $1,386 | $66,184 | 25.1% |
| Tyrrell County | $1,012 | $41,685 | 29.1% |
| Union County | $1,785 | $102,900 | 20.8% |
| Vance County | $1,012 | $50,465 | 24.1% |
| Wake County | $1,689 | $105,768 | 19.2% |
| Warren County | $1,012 | $50,638 | 24.0% |
| Washington County | $1,012 | $41,813 | 29.0% |
| Watauga County | $1,311 | $51,693 | 30.4% |
| Wayne County | $1,261 | $59,733 | 25.3% |
| Wilkes County | $1,012 | $51,721 | 23.5% |
| Wilson County | $1,069 | $56,423 | 22.7% |
| Yadkin County | $1,332 | $62,932 | 25.4% |
| Yancey County | $1,050 | $58,709 | 21.5% |
Metros with member counties in North Carolina
BEA 2024, U.S. = 100. Rent is a population-weighted mean of member-county benchmarks where available.
| Metro area | All-items RPP | Housing RPP | 2BR rent / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville, NC | 96.5 | 93.4 | $1,866 |
| Burlington, NC | 93.2 | 77.9 | $1,348 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 97.3 | 97.6 | $1,670 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 97.6 | 98.9 | $1,697 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 92.0 | 73.1 | $1,431 |
| Goldsboro, NC | 88.5 | 57.7 | $1,261 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 92.9 | 74.5 | $1,241 |
| Greenville, NC | 88.4 | 57.3 | $1,167 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 88.5 | 59.6 | $1,147 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 92.1 | 72.1 | $1,319 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 88.3 | 59.3 | $1,223 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 98.2 | 103.5 | $1,689 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 88.0 | 56.1 | $1,167 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 97.9 | 99.8 | $1,663 |
| Wilmington, NC | 96.4 | 93.2 | $1,588 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 92.0 | 71.4 | $1,271 |