Cincinnati, OH vs Fayetteville, NC
Moving from Cincinnati to Fayetteville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $259,183 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati vs Fayetteville 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 Cincinnati, OH, you'd need about $97,485 in Fayetteville, NC (−$2,515).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Fayetteville, NC: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 3,858 sqft in Fayetteville ($189 vs $130 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Fayetteville, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $17,772 | −$1,128 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,840 | +$122 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,130 | +$105 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,752 | −$348 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,000 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $8,341 | −$479 |
| Total | $38,863 | $37,835 | −$1,028 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Fayetteville, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 7.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | 35.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $259,183 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 0.6% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $130 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $1,481 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.94% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |