Durham, NC vs Richmond, VA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $94 a month in Richmond.
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 $94: Durham is higher at $1,745 versus $1,651.
North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Virginia taxes wages at rates up to 5.75%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.2 percentage points, higher in North Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.10 percentage points, higher in Virginia.
After a move from North Carolina to Virginia, 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 Durham lines up with about $75,220 in Richmond on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Durham
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,745
- HUD area
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,598
- All-items price parity
- 97.6
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 89.3
- Mean commute
- 24.4 min
- Median household income
- $83,542
Richmond
Richmond, VA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,651
- HUD area
- Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,546
- All-items price parity
- 97.9
- Goods price parity
- 96.8
- Utilities price parity
- 89.2
- Mean commute
- 26.6 min
- Median household income
- $83,460
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.
$75,220
Salary in Richmond that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$76,839
Gross salary in Richmond whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$70,960
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 | North Carolina | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 3.99% flat | up to 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.0% | 5.8% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.61% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,455 a year in North Carolina and $2,847 in Virginia. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Virginia
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in North Carolina and once in Virginia. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
WIC
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
School meals
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
LIHEAP
DurhamMaybe
RichmondMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
DurhamUnlikely
RichmondUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
DurhamLikely eligible
RichmondLikely eligible
SSI
DurhamUnlikely
RichmondUnlikely
| Program | Durham | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Durham
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Durham.
- Durham and San Francisco · rent gap $1,952
- Durham and San Jose · rent gap $1,527
- Durham and Boston · rent gap $1,263
- Durham and New York · rent gap $1,226
- Durham and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,219
- Durham and San Diego · rent gap $1,078
- Durham and Miami · rent gap $819
- Durham and Seattle · rent gap $804
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.