Charlotte vs Burlington leftover
Moving to Burlington costs you $250 a month
$2,307/mo leftover in Burlington vs $2,557 in Charlotte after tax and rent ($250 less). −$3,000 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Charlotte leftover
$2,557
a month after tax and rent
Burlington leftover
$2,307
−$250 vs Charlotte
Compare Charlotte to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Charlotte.
Monthly gap
Charlotte → Burlington
$250
less / month in Charlotte
$2,307 in Burlington · $2,557 in Charlotte · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 100 households moved Charlotte → Burlington (avg AGI $62,060). 136 went the other way. The whole move →
−$250 / mo
| Per month | Charlotte | Burlington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,708 | $6,875 | −$833 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,869 | $1,587 | −$282 |
| Take-home pay | $5,839 | $5,289 | −$551 |
| Rent | $1,322 | $1,002 | −$320 |
| Getting around | $568 | $586 | +$18 |
| Groceries | $384 | $385 | +$1 |
| Healthcare | $432 | $433 | +$1 |
| Utilities | $240 | $241 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $336 | $337 | +$1 |
| Left over | $2,557 | $2,307 | −$250 |
To break even in Burlington, you'd need to earn
$87,000
Household gross, versus $92,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Charlotte does now.
The tax difference alone
+$425
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.2% in Charlotte, 23.1% in Burlington.
More about Burlington
Charlotte, NC in full
A banking hub with a 4.25% flat tax and mild winters.
Burlington, NC in full
A flat 4.25% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,193 and 222 sunny days; commutes average 26 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Burlington on Burlington wages.
Burlington → Charlotte →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Burlington than Charlotte?
A one-bedroom is about $1,322 in Charlotte versus $1,002 in Burlington. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $250 a month lower in Burlington. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Burlington have state income tax?
Burlington is in North Carolina, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Charlotte to Burlington?
Take-home pay is recalculated under North Carolina tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Charlotte and Burlington moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.