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 | Austin | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $956/mo | 62.0% higher in A |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $187,400 | 146.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $54,416 | 59.1% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.2 | 97.2 | 7.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 102.6 | 93.5 | 9.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 91.7 | 79.8 | 14.9% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 110.4 | 91.6 | 20.5% 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 Austin, you'd need $76,011 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 24% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 38% lower in Winston-Salem than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $60,809 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.