Waco, TX vs Charlotte, NC
Moving from Waco to Charlotte? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,772 → $390,321 median home) and taxes.
Waco 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 Waco, TX, you'd need about $106,790 in Charlotte, NC (+$6,790).
Livability — Waco, TX: 73 · Charlotte, NC: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,088 sqft in Waco vs 2,561 sqft in Charlotte ($122 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Waco, TX | Charlotte, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $20,880 | +$4,032 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,834 | +$187 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,130 | −$545 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,752 | −$84 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $2,000 | −$1,600 |
| Taxes | $5,779 | $8,740 | +$2,961 |
| Total | $36,385 | $41,336 | +$4,951 |
Side by side
| Metric | Waco, TX | Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.1 | 97.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 4.71% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 10.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $256,772 | $390,321 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 5.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.8% | -0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $122 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,740 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.53% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |