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 | Gastonia | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,075/mo | $956/mo | 12.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $219,700 | $187,400 | 17.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $58,047 | $54,416 | 6.7% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 98.6 | 97.2 | 1.4% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 95.3 | 93.5 | 1.9% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 82.2 | 79.8 | 3.0% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 95.4 | 91.6 | 4.1% 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 Gastonia, you'd need $94,037 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 6% cheaper overall than Gastonia, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 11% lower in Winston-Salem than in Gastonia. If you earn $80,000 in Gastonia, you'd need about $75,230 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.