Charlotte, NC vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Charlotte to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Tampa 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 $105,292 in Tampa, FL (+$5,292).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($195 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $24,216 | +$3,336 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $4,949 | +$115 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,800 | +$1,670 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,656 | −$96 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $4,200 | +$2,200 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $4,642 | −$4,098 |
| Total | $41,336 | $44,463 | +$3,127 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |