Durham vs Winston-Salem
The short version
- Winston-Salem is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Durham area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $233,800 in Winston-Salem and $392,800 in Durham.
- Households earn more in Durham ($81,619 vs $59,268 median).
- Durham is growing faster: +7.6% since 2020 vs +3.1%.
Side by side
| Durham, NC | Winston-Salem, NC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 305,561 | 257,271 |
| Growth since 2020 | +7.6% | +3.1% |
| People per square mile | 2,571 | 1,924 |
| Median age | 35.1 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,619 | $59,268 |
| Median home value | $392,800 | $233,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.8× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,508 | $1,087 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.6 | 92.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 98.9 | 71.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,200 | $69,000 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.3 | 21.5 |
| Work from home | 23% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.8% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% | 17.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 49° / 31° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 88° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 43 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 64 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.6 | 91.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 42% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.8% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +47.6% | +54.9% |
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: Durham: April to May and October. Winston-Salem: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Durham weather by month and Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem. Moving from Durham to Winston-Salem, you would need about $70,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Durham and Winston-Salem
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 Winston-Salem.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.