Compare / Dayton to Winston-Salem
Dayton, OH vs Winston-Salem, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $84 a month in Dayton.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $84: Winston-Salem is higher at $1,332 versus $1,248.
Ohio taxes wages at a flat 2.75%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.3 percentage points, higher in Ohio. The effective property tax gap is 0.61 percentage points, higher in Ohio.
After a move from Ohio to North Carolina, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Dayton lines up with about $74,473 in Winston-Salem on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Dayton
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,248
- HUD area
- Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,119
- All-items price parity
- 92.7
- Goods price parity
- 93.6
- Utilities price parity
- 95.4
- Mean commute
- 22.3 min
- Median household income
- $72,711
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,332
- HUD area
- Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,102
- All-items price parity
- 92.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 88.4
- Mean commute
- 23.8 min
- Median household income
- $65,903
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$74,473
Salary in Winston-Salem that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$74,829
Gross salary in Winston-Salem whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$80,048
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Ohio | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 2.75% flat | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.3% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.22% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,899 a year in Ohio and $2,455 in North Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in North Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Ohio and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
WIC
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
School meals
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
LIHEAP
DaytonMaybe
Winston-SalemMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
DaytonUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
DaytonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
SSI
DaytonUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
| Program | Dayton | Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Dayton
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Dayton.
- Dayton and San Francisco · rent gap $2,449
- Dayton and San Jose · rent gap $2,024
- Dayton and Boston · rent gap $1,760
- Dayton and New York · rent gap $1,723
- Dayton and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,716
- Dayton and San Diego · rent gap $1,575
- Dayton and Miami · rent gap $1,316
- Dayton and Seattle · rent gap $1,301
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.