Eugene, OR vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Eugene to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($459,366 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Eugene vs Charlotte 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 Eugene, OR, you'd need about $93,992 in Charlotte, NC (−$6,008).
Livability — Eugene, OR: 59 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,850 sqft in Eugene vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($270 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Eugene, OR | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,360 | $20,880 | −$480 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $4,834 | −$405 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,130 | −$550 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,752 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,000 | +$1,100 |
| Taxes | $13,148 | $8,740 | −$4,408 |
| Total | $46,031 | $41,336 | −$4,695 |
Side by side
| Metric | Eugene, OR | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.5 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.69% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.89 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $459,366 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.1× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $270 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,780 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.89% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |