Cost of living in Cary, North Carolina

Cary, North Carolina has about 179,306 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $580,200.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Wake County is $1,689 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Cary. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, prices sit at 98.2 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

North Carolina taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Cary's exact store tax.

In July 2026, a typical North Carolina home paid 15.16¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Cary's bill.

EIA does not publish a North Carolina gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in North Carolina shares this price.

Among 407 places we list in North Carolina with a rent figure, 31 have higher typical rent than Cary.