Manchester, NH vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Manchester to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $92,143 in Charlotte, NC (−$7,857).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($292 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $20,880 | −$4,752 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,834 | −$101 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,130 | +$175 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,752 | −$1,188 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $2,000 | +$1,000 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $8,740 | +$2,059 |
| Total | $44,143 | $41,336 | −$2,807 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $195 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |