Cost of Living: Chapel Hill, NC vs Durham, NC

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,254/mo in Chapel Hill, NC versus $4,254/mo in Durham, NC. In the model, rent is about 21.62% of gross in Chapel Hill, NC versus 20.57% in Durham, NC, so Durham, NC tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Chapel Hill, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Durham, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Chapel Hill, NC
21.62%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Durham, NC
20.57%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Chapel Hill, NC and Durham, NC.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Durham, NC
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Durham, NC
  • Lower home prices: Durham, NC
  • Higher median household income: Chapel Hill, NC

Cost of Living Index

Chapel Hill, NC: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Durham, NC: 99.2 (U.S. = 100)

Durham, NC has a lower cost-of-living index than Chapel Hill, NC, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Chapel Hill, NC: $1,409/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Durham, NC: $1,342/mo

Median rent in Chapel Hill, NC is $67/mo higher than in Durham, NC.

Median Home Price

Chapel Hill, NC: $576,500 · Durham, NC: $355,300

Median home price in Chapel Hill, NC is $221,200 higher than in Durham, NC.

Median Household Income

Chapel Hill, NC: $85,825 · Durham, NC: $79,234

Chapel Hill, NC has a higher median household income than Durham, NC by $6,591.

Chapel Hill, NC overview · Durham, NC overview · Popular comparisons