Charlotte vs Roanoke
The short version
- Roanoke is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Charlotte area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $190,500 in Roanoke and $385,700 in Charlotte.
- Households earn more in Charlotte ($82,068 vs $55,378 median).
- Charlotte has the warmer winter: January highs of 52°F vs 47°F.
- Roanoke gets far more snow: 15 inches a year vs 4.
- Charlotte is growing faster: +10.3% since 2020 vs -0.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Roanoke (19 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Charlotte, NC | Roanoke, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 964,784 | 99,111 |
| Growth since 2020 | +10.3% | -0.9% |
| People per square mile | 3,096 | 2,331 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 38.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 30% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $82,068 | $55,378 |
| Median home value | $385,700 | $190,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,612 | $996 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.3 | 93.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 97.6 | 78.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,000 | $70,200 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.7 | 19.0 |
| Work from home | 29% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% | 18.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 47° / 29° |
| July high / low | 90° / 70° | 88° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 15 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 49 | 30 |
| Nights below freezing | 58 | 77 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.1 | 72.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 46% | 83% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.5% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +49.9% | +51.2% |
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. Roanoke: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Charlotte weather by month and Roanoke 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 $70,200 in Roanoke. Moving from Charlotte to Roanoke, you would need about $72,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Charlotte and Roanoke
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 Roanoke.
Which would you pick?
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