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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Hampstead, North Carolina

Hampstead, North Carolina has about 9,292 people. Typical rent is $1,216 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $91,745 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.

Ranked #35 in North Carolina on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,216 a month.

Hampstead is a Census community, not a separate city government in North Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $91,745 a year.

Is Hampstead affordable?See benefits in Hampstead
People
9,292
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,216
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$91,745
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$402,100
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,199
Pender County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
Gas
$4.035
Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C), week of October 12, 2026

Hampstead, North Carolina has about 9,292 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $402,100.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Pender County is $1,199 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Hampstead. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Wilmington, NC metro area, prices sit at 96.4 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 Hampstead'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 Hampstead'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, 129 have higher typical rent than Hampstead.

Nearby places

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.

Find SNAP stores near HampsteadWhat EBT can buy in North Carolina

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.