City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Asheville | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $956/mo | 30.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $376,800 | $187,400 | 101.1% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,810 | $54,416 | 17.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 100.7 | 97.2 | 3.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.0 | 93.5 | 4.8% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 85.7 | 79.8 | 7.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.9 | 91.6 | 10.2% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Asheville, you'd need $86,469 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 13.5% cheaper overall than Asheville, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% lower in Winston-Salem than in Asheville. If you earn $80,000 in Asheville, you'd need about $69,175 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.