Compare / Pittsburgh to Winston-Salem
Pittsburgh, PA vs Winston-Salem, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $57 a month in Winston-Salem.
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 $57: Pittsburgh is higher at $1,389 versus $1,332.
Pennsylvania taxes wages at a flat 3.07%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.7 percentage points, higher in North Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.54 percentage points, higher in Pennsylvania.
After a move from Pennsylvania 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 Pittsburgh lines up with about $72,918 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.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,389
- HUD area
- Pittsburgh, PA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,083
- All-items price parity
- 94.7
- Goods price parity
- 100.7
- Utilities price parity
- 107.7
- Mean commute
- 26.3 min
- Median household income
- $77,214
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.
$72,918
Salary in Winston-Salem that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$71,705
Gross salary in Winston-Salem whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$71,922
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 | Pennsylvania | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 3.07% flat | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.3% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.16% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,631 a year in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
WIC
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
School meals
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
LIHEAP
PittsburghMaybe
Winston-SalemMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
PittsburghUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
PittsburghLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
SSI
PittsburghUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
| Program | Pittsburgh | 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 Pittsburgh
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Pittsburgh.
- Pittsburgh and San Francisco · rent gap $2,308
- Pittsburgh and San Jose · rent gap $1,883
- Pittsburgh and Boston · rent gap $1,619
- Pittsburgh and New York · rent gap $1,582
- Pittsburgh and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,575
- Pittsburgh and San Diego · rent gap $1,434
- Pittsburgh and Miami · rent gap $1,175
- Pittsburgh and Seattle · rent gap $1,160
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.