Charlotte vs Durham
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $385,700 in Charlotte and $392,800 in Durham.
- Charlotte is growing faster: +10.3% since 2020 vs +7.6%.
Side by side
| Charlotte, NC | Durham, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 964,784 | 305,561 |
| Growth since 2020 | +10.3% | +7.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,096 | 2,571 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 35.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 57% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $82,068 | $81,619 |
| Median home value | $385,700 | $392,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 4.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,612 | $1,508 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.3 | 97.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 97.6 | 98.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,000 | $73,200 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.7 | 22.3 |
| Work from home | 29% | 23% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 3.8% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% | 11.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 52° / 32° |
| July high / low | 90° / 70° | 91° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 5 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 49 | 52 |
| Nights below freezing | 58 | 65 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.1 | 89.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 46% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.5% | +1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.9% | +47.6% |
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: Charlotte: April to May and September to October. Durham: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Charlotte weather by month and Durham weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,000 in Charlotte and $73,200 in Durham. Moving from Charlotte to Durham, you would need about $75,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Charlotte and Durham
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Charlotte and Durham.
Which would you pick?
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