What does it cost to live in Winston-Salem, NC? Based on 7 federal sources (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026, EIA energy prices, IRS/state tax), a single adult's modeled annual budget is $51,487 and a family of four's is $82,371 (2025).
How much does a family of four need in Winston-Salem?
A family of four (2 adults, 2 children) needs about $82,371/yr to break even in Winston-Salem — roughly $6,864 a month. Housing is the largest single cost. This is a break-even budget of basic needs, not a recommended salary and not a composite index.
Components carry different grains, from ZIP or county (housing) to national adjusted to state price level (CEX rows via BEA Regional Price Parities). Not a recommended salary; not a poverty threshold; components are not weighted into a composite score. See family-of-four methodology →
BEA Regional Price Parities
How expensive is Winston-Salem versus the U.S.?
The overall price level in Winston-Salem, NC metro area is 92.0 against a U.S. average of 100 — −8.0% less expensive than the national average.
All items
92.0
Goods
96.6
Rents
71.4
Utilities
88.4
Other services
98.2
Category
Index (U.S. = 100)
vs U.S.
All items
92.0
−8.0%
Goods
96.6
−3.4%
Rents
71.4
−28.6%
Utilities
88.4
−11.6%
Other services
98.2
−1.8%
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 · Winston-Salem, NC metro area · methodology →
ACS 5-Year 2020–2024
What do homeowners pay each month in Winston-Salem?
Owners with a mortgage in Winston-Salem pay a median of 1,459/mo in selected owner costs.
Owner cost & property tax — place-grain from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. Median monthly selected owner costs (SMOC) cover mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and condo fees where applicable; real-estate taxes paid is the median property-tax bill for owner-occupied units.
Utility prices in North Carolina — applies to North Carolina statewide (electricity and natural gas) or its PADD region (gasoline). Residential rates are state averages, not what any specific household pays.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · state-grain · methodology →
Census Gov Finances FY2022
State tax burden.
Tax burden in North Carolina — combined state + local taxes per capita, from the U.S. Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (FY2022). Population denominator: Census PEP 2022 state estimate. State-grain only; this is revenue divided by people, not a household tax bill. "vs U.S. state average" compares one state to the unweighted mean across all 51 states + DC.
Measure
Value
vs U.S. state average
Total state + local taxes per capita
$5,304
6,836 avg · -22%
Property taxes per capita
$1,169
1,886 avg · -38%
Sales & gross receipts taxes per capita
$2,001
2,255 avg · -11%
Individual income taxes per capita
$1,652
1,617 avg · +2%
Corporate income taxes per capita
$152
393 avg · -61%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances · FY2022 · state-grain · methodology →
State Income Tax TY2025
State income tax.
Measure
Value
Note
Top state income tax rate (single filer)
4.25%
flat rate · TY2025
Effective state income tax at $75k (single)
3.53%
after $12,750 standard deduction · TY2025
Flat-tax schedule
Income range (single)
Marginal rate
$0+
4.25%
Flat 4.25% rate for tax year 2025. Reduced from 4.5% in 2024 under SB 105 (2021) and SL 2023-12. Scheduled to decline to 3.99% by 2027.
Income tax: state-level only. Local income taxes (e.g., NYC resident tax, Yonkers surcharge, Portland-OR Metro tax, Maryland county tax, Philadelphia wage tax, OH/KY/MI city income taxes) appear in the Local income tax section below when modeled. Effective rate at $75k is illustrative only — single filer with state standard deduction, no itemized deductions, no credits.
Source: North Carolina Department of Revenue · TY2025 · state-grain · methodology →
Tax Foundation TY2025
State + local sales tax.
Measure
Rate
Note
State sales tax rate
4.75%
statutory state rate · TY2025
Avg local sales tax rate
2.24%
population-weighted state average · Tax Foundation TY2025
Combined sales tax rate
6.99%
state + avg local · TY2025
Sales tax: state-grain. The "average local rate" is Tax Foundation's population-weighted state-average; actual local rates vary by city, county, and special taxing district. Selective sales taxes (hotels, meals, car rentals) and excise taxes (gasoline, tobacco, alcohol) are excluded.
Source: Tax Foundation · state statutes · TY2025 · methodology →
USDA Food Plans + Food Atlas
Food and grocery access.
Food and grocery access. USDA national food-cost reference plus USDA Food Environment Atlas county-level food access. National plan values are not adjusted for local prices.
Measure
Value
Grain / source
Thrifty Food Plan, family of 4
$996/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Moderate-Cost Plan, family of 4
$1,341/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Liberal Plan, family of 4
$1,619/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Grocery stores per 1,000 pop
0.23
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2020
Low food-access population share
40.9%
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2019
SNAP participation rate
13.9%
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2022
Food Atlas county: Forsyth County, NC. USDA Food Plans observation: July 2025. Alaska and Hawaii shoppers should expect substantially higher prices than the national figure. See food methodology.
Monthly Household Budget Benchmark
Full budget itemization.
Monthly Household Budget Benchmark — estimated monthly cost of basic needs, composed from federal public-domain sources. Two compositions: single adult (1BR rental) and family of four, two adults working, two children ages 4 and 8 (3BR rental). Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite index. Methodology informed by the MIT Living Wage Calculator and EPI Family Budget Calculator; figures independently computed from primary federal sources.
Single adult · 1BR rental
Component
Monthly
Grain / source
Housing (1BR rental)
$1,082/mo
HUD FMR FY2026, county/FMR area
Food
$264/mo
national, USDA Low-Cost Plan 2025, state price-adjusted
Transportation
$1,072/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Healthcare (out-of-pocket)
$164/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Internet + cellular
$122/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024 (no sub-state federal source for ISP price)
Other necessities
$470/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Civic engagement
$306/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Taxes (federal + FICA + state)
$810/mo
TY2025, iteratively solved
Total monthly
$4,291/mo
mixed grain
Total annual
$51,487/yr
mixed grain
Gross income required (pre-tax)
$51,487/yr
mixed grain, TY2025 tax solver
Single adult, no dependents, single filing status.
Family of four · 3BR rental
Two adults working, two children (ages 4 and 8). Married Filing Jointly.
Component
Monthly
Grain / source
Housing (3BR rental)
$1,607/mo
HUD FMR FY2026, county/FMR area, 3BR
Food
$1,001/mo
national, USDA Family-of-4 Plan 2025, state price-adjusted
national, BLS CEX 2024 (no sub-state federal source for ISP price)
Other necessities
$470/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Civic engagement
$306/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Taxes (federal + FICA + state, MFJ)
$889/mo
TY2025, iteratively solved, MFJ + EITC + CTC
Total monthly
$6,864/mo
mixed grain
Total annual
$82,371/yr
mixed grain
Gross income required (pre-tax, combined)
$82,371/yr
mixed grain, TY2025 MFJ solver
Includes CTC $4,400/yr (TY2025 federal credits, MFJ).
Note: USDA family-of-4 food plan uses children ages 6–8 and 9–11; childcare modeled at ages 4 and 8. Small ~5% age-band inconsistency documented in methodology.
Component grains range from ZIP or county (housing, per HUD SAFMR/FMR coverage) to national (CEX-based rows adjusted to state price level via BEA Regional Price Parities). Childcare: county-grain DOL NDCP 2022, inflated by BLS CPI Child Care subindex (factor 1.2293, Jan 2022 → Apr 2026). Local income tax modeled for ~3,100+ jurisdictions in 16 states. Not a recommended salary; not a poverty threshold; components are not weighted into a composite score. See household budget methodology, family-of-four methodology, and local income tax methodology.
Source detail
Cost-of-living and household budget context
Source agency
Every City In The USA (derived from federal primary sources)
Dataset
Every City — Monthly Household Budget Composite (derived)
Vintage / period
Derived · updated after each upstream refresh
Native geography
Mixed public-source grain: city, county, metro, ZIP/FMR area, state, regional, and national inputs.
Transformation
Every City attaches documented source layers to a city and computes budget components; it does not publish one universal cost score.
Known limit: Benchmark context, not a salary recommendation, policy threshold, or city-precise price index.
Headline figures: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 and the family-of-four Monthly Household Budget Benchmark. Build a full side-by-side on Compare cost of living.
Methodology
How these figures are computed.
Every figure on this page comes from a primary federal source. No composite index is produced; figures are presented per-component with grain labels so readers can trace each number to its source.
