Cary vs High Point
The short version
- High Point is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Cary area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $235,800 in High Point and $580,200 in Cary.
- Households earn more in Cary ($134,905 vs $64,561 median).
Side by side
| Cary, NC | High Point, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 183,582 | 120,571 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5% | +5.7% |
| People per square mile | 3,011 | 2,099 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 37.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 71% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $134,905 | $64,561 |
| Median home value | $580,200 | $235,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 3.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,738 | $1,116 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.2 | 92.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.5 | 74.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,600 | $69,600 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 20.7 |
| Work from home | 37% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 5.7% | 15.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 49° / 30° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 89° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 44 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 7 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 68 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 93.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 75% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.1% | +4.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +44.9% | +55.1% |
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: Cary: April to May and October. High Point: April to June and October.
Full monthly tables: Cary weather by month and High Point weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,600 in Cary and $69,600 in High Point. Moving from Cary to High Point, you would need about $71,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cary and High Point
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cary and High Point.
Which would you pick?
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