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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Winston-Salem, North Carolina has about 252,037 people. Typical rent is $1,087 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $59,268 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 #69 in North Carolina on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $1,087 a month.

Winston-Salem is a city in North Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $59,268 a year.

Is Winston-Salem affordable?See benefits in Winston-Salem
People
252,037
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$1,087
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$59,268
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$233,800
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,332
Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
Gas
$4.035
Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C), week of October 12, 2026

Winston-Salem, North Carolina has about 252,037 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $233,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Forsyth County is $1,332 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Winston-Salem. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Winston-Salem, NC metro area, prices sit at 92.0 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 Winston-Salem'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 Winston-Salem'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, 168 have higher typical rent than Winston-Salem.

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 Winston-SalemWhat 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.