Asheville vs Rock Hill
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $295,100 in Rock Hill and $440,000 in Asheville.
- Rock Hill has the warmer winter: January highs of 52°F vs 48°F.
- Asheville gets far more snow: 12 inches a year vs 1.
- Rock Hill has more scorching days: 55 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 16.
- Rock Hill is growing faster: +2.1% since 2020 vs -1.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Asheville (18 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Asheville, NC | Rock Hill, SC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 93,523 | 75,911 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +2.1% |
| People per square mile | 2,056 | 1,706 |
| Median age | 40.7 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $71,102 | $68,771 |
| Median home value | $440,000 | $295,100 |
| Home value to income | 6.2× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,402 | $1,341 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.5 | 97.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 93.4 | 97.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,400 | $73,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.49% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.2 | 25.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 14.3% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 29° | 52° / 31° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 12 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.3 | 88.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 46% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.4% | +1.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.3% | +49.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Asheville: April to October. Rock Hill: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Asheville weather by month and Rock Hill weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,400 in Asheville and $73,000 in Rock Hill. Moving from Asheville to Rock Hill, you would need about $75,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Asheville and Rock Hill
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Asheville and Rock Hill.
Which would you pick?
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