Cost of Living: Chapel Hill, NC vs Los Angeles, CA

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 $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 21.62% of gross in Chapel Hill, NC versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so Chapel Hill, NC tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Chapel Hill, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Chapel Hill, NC
21.62%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Los Angeles, CA
25.99%
COLI tier: very high-cost

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

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Chapel Hill, NC: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Chapel Hill, NC: $1,409/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Los Angeles, CA is $286/mo higher than in Chapel Hill, NC.

Median Home Price

Chapel Hill, NC: $576,500 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Los Angeles, CA is $81,200 higher than in Chapel Hill, NC.

Median Household Income

Chapel Hill, NC: $85,825 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Chapel Hill, NC has a higher median household income than Los Angeles, CA by $11,040.

Chapel Hill, NC overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons