Cost of living in Hickory, North Carolina
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,063 a month.
Hickory is a city in North Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $64,576 a year.
- People
- 44,258
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,063
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $64,576
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $278,400
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,147
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
Hickory, North Carolina has about 44,258 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $278,400.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Catawba County is $1,147 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Hickory. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area, prices sit at 88.5 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 Hickory'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 Hickory'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, 186 have higher typical rent than Hickory.
Nearby places
- St. Stephens
Typical rent $958
Compare with Hickory - Long View
Typical rent $794
Compare with Hickory - NorthlakesCompare with Hickory
- Mountain View
Typical rent $956
Compare with Hickory - Bethlehem
Typical rent $795
Compare with Hickory - Hildebran
Typical rent $809
Compare with Hickory - Conover
Typical rent $898
Compare with Hickory - Rhodhiss
Typical rent $846
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.