City comparison
Fayetteville, NC is about 100 miles (175 km) from Winston-Salem, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h 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 Fayetteville, NC to Winston-Salem, NC takes about 12 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Winston-Salem has a population of 249,571, vs 208,697 in Fayetteville — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Fayetteville covers about 150 sq mi vs 135 sq mi for Winston-Salem.
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 | Fayetteville | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,117/mo | $956/mo | 16.8% higher in Fayetteville |
| Median home value | $158,500 | $187,400 | 18.2% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Median household income | $53,424 | $54,416 | 1.9% higher in Winston-Salem |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 88.4 | 89.1 | 0.8% higher in Winston-Salem |
| 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 Fayetteville, you'd need $99,092 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 0.9% cheaper overall than Fayetteville, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Fayetteville than in Winston-Salem. If you earn $80,000 in Fayetteville, you'd need about $79,274 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.