Cost of living in Forest City, North Carolina

Forest City, North Carolina has about 7,363 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $160,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Rutherford County is $1,012 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Forest City. 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 Forest City'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 Forest City'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, 309 have higher typical rent than Forest City.