Moving to North Carolina from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to North Carolina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 3.8% cheaper than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly $61,978 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to North Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,978
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.4% less
Groceries
pay 5.8% more
Transportation
pay 0.8% less
Housing
pay 7.0% less
Childcare
pay 1.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in North Carolina cost about 25% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and North Carolina stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
North Carolina performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States performs better than North Carolina across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
North Carolina generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs better than North Carolina across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than United States?
Generally yes: North Carolina runs about 17% cheaper than United States on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,494 in North Carolina for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from North Carolina?
Working remotely from North Carolina's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in United States and North Carolina.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to United States?
North Carolina performs significantly better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Asheville is 67°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Asheville receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in North Carolina?
Both United States and North Carolina share the same official language: English.
