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 | Wake Forest | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,354/mo | $956/mo | 41.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $397,300 | $187,400 | 112.0% higher in A |
| Median household income | $115,159 | $54,416 | 111.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 97.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 90.7 | 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 Wake Forest, you'd need $87,458 in Winston-Salem to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Winston-Salem, NC is about 12.5% cheaper overall than Wake Forest, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% lower in Winston-Salem than in Wake Forest. If you earn $80,000 in Wake Forest, you'd need about $69,966 in Winston-Salem to keep the same standard of living.