Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Renting Costs Far Less Than Owning in North Carolina
The widest gaps between median rent and the full monthly cost of owning the median home. A large gap does not automatically mean renting is the better decision, because rent buys no equity and is not fixed for thirty years, but it does show where the market prices ownership at a steep premium.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
North Carolina ranked
| # | County | Monthly saved by renting | Median rent | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatham County | $1,978 | $1,066 | $3,044 |
| 2 | Orange County | $1,977 | $1,387 | $3,364 |
| 3 | Dare County | $1,882 | $1,307 | $3,189 |
| 4 | Wake County | $1,729 | $1,508 | $3,237 |
| 5 | Transylvania County | $1,637 | $909 | $2,546 |
| 6 | Currituck County | $1,524 | $1,126 | $2,650 |
| 7 | Buncombe County | $1,474 | $1,281 | $2,755 |
| 8 | Union County | $1,470 | $1,390 | $2,860 |
| 9 | Watauga County | $1,368 | $1,066 | $2,434 |
| 10 | New Hanover County | $1,363 | $1,343 | $2,706 |
| 11 | Mecklenburg County | $1,358 | $1,521 | $2,879 |
| 12 | Durham County | $1,351 | $1,415 | $2,766 |
| 13 | Henderson County | $1,318 | $1,120 | $2,438 |
| 14 | Madison County | $1,289 | $764 | $2,053 |
| 15 | Carteret County | $1,262 | $1,062 | $2,324 |
| 16 | Clay County | $1,250 | $791 | $2,041 |
| 17 | Moore County | $1,250 | $1,181 | $2,431 |
| 18 | Lincoln County | $1,210 | $977 | $2,187 |
| 19 | Cabarrus County | $1,203 | $1,303 | $2,506 |
| 20 | Brunswick County | $1,160 | $1,267 | $2,427 |
| 21 | Johnston County | $1,117 | $1,007 | $2,124 |
| 22 | Polk County | $1,105 | $1,089 | $2,194 |
| 23 | Jackson County | $1,104 | $855 | $1,959 |
| 24 | Iredell County | $1,103 | $1,183 | $2,286 |
| 25 | Pender County | $1,050 | $1,072 | $2,122 |
| 26 | Camden County | $1,044 | $1,220 | $2,264 |
| 27 | Avery County | $1,035 | $791 | $1,826 |
| 28 | Macon County | $1,009 | $791 | $1,800 |
| 29 | Davie County | $1,001 | $889 | $1,890 |
| 30 | Ashe County | $993 | $774 | $1,767 |
| 31 | Haywood County | $963 | $1,052 | $2,015 |
| 32 | Yancey County | $956 | $807 | $1,763 |
| 33 | Franklin County | $952 | $988 | $1,940 |
| 34 | Swain County | $948 | $715 | $1,663 |
| 35 | Chowan County | $908 | $766 | $1,674 |
| 36 | Stanly County | $903 | $830 | $1,733 |
| 37 | Granville County | $895 | $1,008 | $1,903 |
| 38 | Mitchell County | $883 | $744 | $1,627 |
| 39 | Cherokee County | $873 | $800 | $1,673 |
| 40 | Alleghany County | $867 | $755 | $1,622 |
| 41 | Catawba County | $866 | $891 | $1,757 |
| 42 | Gaston County | $829 | $1,085 | $1,914 |
| 43 | Forsyth County | $826 | $1,046 | $1,872 |
| 44 | Guilford County | $822 | $1,108 | $1,930 |
| 45 | Alexander County | $818 | $745 | $1,563 |
| 46 | Lee County | $799 | $962 | $1,761 |
| 47 | Person County | $793 | $796 | $1,589 |
| 48 | Pamlico County | $789 | $909 | $1,698 |
| 49 | Alamance County | $780 | $1,007 | $1,787 |
| 50 | Stokes County | $773 | $766 | $1,539 |
| 51 | Davidson County | $772 | $863 | $1,635 |
| 52 | Rowan County | $762 | $990 | $1,752 |
| 53 | Rutherford County | $743 | $748 | $1,491 |
| 54 | Yadkin County | $741 | $734 | $1,475 |
| 55 | Graham County | $729 | $581 | $1,310 |
| 56 | Harnett County | $721 | $1,080 | $1,801 |
| 57 | Caldwell County | $717 | $735 | $1,452 |
| 58 | Cleveland County | $668 | $835 | $1,503 |
| 59 | Pasquotank County | $664 | $1,146 | $1,810 |
| 60 | Pitt County | $658 | $971 | $1,629 |
| 61 | Surry County | $654 | $741 | $1,395 |
| 62 | Beaufort County | $653 | $859 | $1,512 |
| 63 | McDowell County | $653 | $741 | $1,394 |
| 64 | Perquimans County | $653 | $1,061 | $1,714 |
| 65 | Wilkes County | $645 | $715 | $1,360 |
| 66 | Burke County | $630 | $805 | $1,435 |
| 67 | Tyrrell County | $617 | $612 | $1,229 |
| 68 | Caswell County | $596 | $699 | $1,295 |
| 69 | Randolph County | $589 | $857 | $1,446 |
| 70 | Craven County | $584 | $1,100 | $1,684 |
| 71 | Onslow County | $577 | $1,198 | $1,775 |
| 72 | Hoke County | $569 | $1,047 | $1,616 |
| 73 | Rockingham County | $555 | $789 | $1,344 |
| 74 | Wilson County | $548 | $915 | $1,463 |
| 75 | Montgomery County | $539 | $753 | $1,292 |
| 76 | Nash County | $526 | $924 | $1,450 |
| 77 | Gates County | $459 | $940 | $1,399 |
| 78 | Wayne County | $454 | $932 | $1,386 |
| 79 | Cumberland County | $418 | $1,156 | $1,574 |
| 80 | Vance County | $416 | $860 | $1,276 |
| 81 | Bladen County | $387 | $752 | $1,139 |
| 82 | Columbus County | $379 | $775 | $1,154 |
| 83 | Jones County | $375 | $725 | $1,100 |
| 84 | Richmond County | $361 | $744 | $1,105 |
| 85 | Warren County | $354 | $771 | $1,125 |
| 86 | Sampson County | $338 | $811 | $1,149 |
| 87 | Martin County | $309 | $729 | $1,038 |
| 88 | Duplin County | $288 | $815 | $1,103 |
| 89 | Edgecombe County | $274 | $818 | $1,092 |
| 90 | Scotland County | $257 | $766 | $1,023 |
| 91 | Anson County | $245 | $849 | $1,094 |
| 92 | Northampton County | $243 | $749 | $992 |
| 93 | Hertford County | $232 | $806 | $1,038 |
| 94 | Lenoir County | $218 | $814 | $1,032 |
| 95 | Halifax County | $213 | $776 | $989 |
| 96 | Greene County | $204 | $845 | $1,049 |
| 97 | Washington County | $192 | $829 | $1,021 |
| 98 | Bertie County | $87 | $824 | $911 |
| 99 | Robeson County | $83 | $784 | $867 |
| 100 | Hyde County | $-171 | $1,237 | $1,066 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Counties Where Renting Costs Far Less Than Owning across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in North Carolina