City comparison
Chapel Hill, NC is about 60 miles (100 km) from Wilson, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 miles, or about 1 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Chapel Hill, NC to Wilson, NC takes about 8 min, covering roughly 60 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Chapel Hill has a population of 58,919, vs 47,767 in Wilson — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Wilson covers about 32 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Chapel Hill.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Chapel Hill | Wilson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $864/mo | 64.2% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $167,400 | 220.8% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $46,891 | 83.3% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 89.8 | 89.0 | 1.0% higher in Chapel Hill |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 98.4 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 97.9 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need $81,404 in Wilson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Wilson, NC is about 18.6% cheaper overall than Chapel Hill, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 75% higher in Chapel Hill than in Wilson. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $65,123 in Wilson to keep the same standard of living.