Durham, NC vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Durham to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($414,340 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Durham 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 Durham, NC, you'd need about $105,266 in Tampa, FL (+$5,266).
Livability — Durham, NC: 65 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,413 sqft in Durham vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($207 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Durham, NC | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,436 | $24,216 | +$3,780 |
| Groceries | $4,840 | $4,949 | +$109 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,800 | +$1,670 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,656 | −$96 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $4,200 | +$2,200 |
| Taxes | $9,397 | $4,642 | −$4,755 |
| Total | $41,555 | $44,463 | +$2,908 |
Side by side
| Metric | Durham, NC | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.03% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.8% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $414,340 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $207 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,703 | $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 | 0.87% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 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 |