Compare / San Francisco to Winston-Salem
San Francisco, CA vs Winston-Salem, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $2,365 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 $2,365: San Francisco is higher at $3,697 versus $1,332.
California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.0 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.09 percentage points, higher in California.
After a move from California 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 San Francisco lines up with about $59,710 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.
San Francisco
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $3,697
- HUD area
- San Francisco, CA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,435
- All-items price parity
- 115.6
- Goods price parity
- 108.5
- Utilities price parity
- 172.6
- Mean commute
- 32.7 min
- Median household income
- $135,590
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.
$59,710
Salary in Winston-Salem that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$57,789
Gross salary in Winston-Salem whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$27,022
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 | California | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 13.30% | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 9.0% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.71% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,828 a year in California 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 California and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
WIC
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
School meals
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
LIHEAP
San FranciscoMaybe
Winston-SalemMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
San FranciscoUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
San FranciscoLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
SSI
San FranciscoUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
| Program | San Francisco | 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 San Francisco
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from San Francisco.
- San Francisco and McAllen · rent gap $2,680
- San Francisco and Wichita · rent gap $2,654
- San Francisco and Little Rock · rent gap $2,576
- San Francisco and Toledo · rent gap $2,552
- San Francisco and El Paso · rent gap $2,551
- San Francisco and Baton Rouge · rent gap $2,548
- San Francisco and Columbia · rent gap $2,471
- San Francisco and Tulsa · rent gap $2,468
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.