Charlotte, NC vs Roanoke, VA
Moving from Charlotte to Roanoke? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $301,139 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Roanoke at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $93,714 in Roanoke, VA (−$6,286).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Roanoke, VA: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 3,320 sqft in Roanoke ($195 vs $151 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Roanoke, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $16,836 | −$4,044 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,853 | +$20 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,080 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,872 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,500 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $9,549 | +$809 |
| Total | $41,336 | $37,690 | −$3,646 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Roanoke, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 4.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $301,139 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 3.8% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $151 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $1,403 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |