Compare / Washington to Winston-Salem
Washington, DC vs Winston-Salem, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $1,106 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 housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 79.8 points (Washington 151.1, Winston-Salem 71.4).
District of Columbia taxes wages at rates up to 10.75%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.0 percentage points, higher in North Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.01 percentage points, higher in District of Columbia.
After a move from District of Columbia 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 Washington lines up with about $63,400 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.
Washington
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,438
- HUD area
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,037
- All-items price parity
- 108.9
- Goods price parity
- 104.8
- Utilities price parity
- 106.7
- Mean commute
- 33.8 min
- Median household income
- $126,244
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.
$63,400
Salary in Winston-Salem that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$60,868
Gross salary in Winston-Salem whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$40,976
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 | District of Columbia | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 10.75% | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.63% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,506 a year in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
WIC
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
School meals
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
LIHEAP
WashingtonMaybe
Winston-SalemMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
WashingtonUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
WashingtonLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
SSI
WashingtonUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
| Program | Washington | 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 Washington
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Washington.
- Washington and McAllen · rent gap $1,421
- Washington and Wichita · rent gap $1,395
- Washington and Little Rock · rent gap $1,317
- Washington and Toledo · rent gap $1,293
- Washington and El Paso · rent gap $1,292
- Washington and Baton Rouge · rent gap $1,289
- Washington and San Francisco · rent gap $1,259
- Washington and Columbia · rent gap $1,212
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.