Cost of living in Emerald Isle, North Carolina
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,704 a month.
Emerald Isle is a town in North Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $89,773 a year.
- People
- 3,934
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,704
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $89,773
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $603,700
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,277
- Carteret County, NC
Emerald Isle, North Carolina has about 3,934 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $603,700.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Carteret County is $1,277 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Emerald Isle. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
North Carolina's prices sit at 94.3 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.
North Carolina taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.0% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Emerald Isle'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 Emerald Isle's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for North Carolina in the table we use.
Among 407 places we list in North Carolina with a rent figure, 38 have higher typical rent than Emerald Isle.
Nearby places
- Cape Carteret
Typical rent $1,745
Compare with Emerald Isle - Cedar Point
Typical rent $1,438
Compare with Emerald Isle - Swansboro
Typical rent $1,106
Compare with Emerald Isle - Broad Creek
Typical rent $908
Compare with Emerald Isle - Newport
Typical rent $896
Compare with Emerald Isle - Pine Knoll Shores
Typical rent $1,750
Compare with Emerald Isle - Brandywine Bay
Typical rent $2,141
- Atlantic Beach
Typical rent $1,206
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in North Carolina
Bigger places in North Carolina
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.