Example household · $83,730 · same pay · 1 adult

Winston-Salem skyline

Winston-Salem

Cost of Living in Winston-Salem, NC (2026)

$2,383 left/mo

Photo: Skarmory / Wikimedia

$3,010/mo in Winston-Salem. $2,383 left each month. Prices near the US average.

Monthly costs

Take-home $5,393/mo.

  • Taxes$1,584
  • Rent$1,047
  • Other$1,963
  • Left$2,383

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay
$83,730
Federal income tax
−$9,591
Social Security and Medicare
−$6,405
State income tax (NC)
−$3,017
Take-home pay
$64,717
Effective tax rate
22.7%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br
$1,047
Groceries
$385
Getting around
$567
Healthcare
$433
Utilities and internet
$241
Everything else
$337
Total spending
$3,010

After tax and rent

$2,383 left/mo

Stats

Rent
$1,246
2 bd median
Take-home
$5,393
Per month
Tax
23%
Of pay
Prices
4% below
US, besides rent

Average electric bill in North Carolina

About $126 a month for a household using 900 kWh. That is the EIA residential price for North Carolina in 2025, 14¢ per kWh. It is a state average, not a Winston-Salem utility bill, and the utilities line in the monthly costs above already includes a modelled power cost.

Moving from Winston-Salem

Take-home by job in Winston-Salem

Pay and leftover for every job in Winston-Salem

Other North Carolina metros

All North Carolina metros

Compare Winston-Salem

Next stepOpen the mapEvery metro, for the same household.