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 | Chapel Hill | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $956/mo | 48.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $187,400 | 186.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $54,416 | 57.9% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 97.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 91.0 | 90.8 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 98.9 | 98.9 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.2 | 97.2 | ≈ 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 $88,047 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 12% cheaper overall than Chapel Hill, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% lower in Winston-Salem than in Chapel Hill. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $70,438 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.