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 | Charleston | Grand Forks | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $870/mo | $927/mo | 6.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $172,800 | $237,000 | 27.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $58,902 | $59,079 | 0.3% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.0 | 95.8 | 1.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 92.6 | 81.5 | 13.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 100.0 | 93.0 | 7.5% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 93.7 | 4.9% 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 Charleston, you'd need $99,801 in Grand Forks to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Charleston and Grand Forks have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 11% lower in Charleston than in Grand Forks. If you earn $80,000 in Charleston, you'd need about $79,841 in Grand Forks to keep the same standard of living.