Durham vs Fayetteville
The short version
- Fayetteville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Durham area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $188,000 in Fayetteville and $392,800 in Durham.
- Households earn more in Durham ($81,619 vs $58,407 median).
- Durham is growing faster: +7.6% since 2020 vs +0.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Fayetteville (19 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Durham, NC | Fayetteville, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 305,561 | 209,120 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.6% | +0.3% |
| People per square mile | 2,571 | 1,410 |
| Median age | 35.1 | 30.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57% | 29% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,619 | $58,407 |
| Median home value | $392,800 | $188,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 3.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,508 | $1,250 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.6 | 92.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 98.9 | 73.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,200 | $69,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.3 | 19.1 |
| Work from home | 23% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.8% | 7.9% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 54° / 32° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 91° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 53 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 63 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.6 | 89.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 69% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.8% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +47.6% | +57.1% |
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: Durham: April to May and October. Fayetteville: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Durham weather by month and Fayetteville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,200 in Durham and $69,000 in Fayetteville. Moving from Durham to Fayetteville, you would need about $70,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Durham and Fayetteville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Durham and Fayetteville.
Which would you pick?
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