Charlotte vs Winston-Salem leftover
Moving to Winston-Salem costs you $267 a month
$2,290/mo leftover in Winston-Salem vs $2,557 in Charlotte after tax and rent ($267 less). −$3,204 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
Winston-Salem leftover
$2,290
−$267 vs Charlotte
Compare Charlotte to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Charlotte.
Monthly gap
Charlotte → Winston-Salem
$267
less / month in Charlotte
$2,290 in Winston-Salem · $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, 1,710 households moved Charlotte → Winston-Salem (avg AGI $57,956). 1,590 went the other way. The whole move →
−$267 / mo
| Per month | Charlotte | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,708 | $6,891 | −$818 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,869 | $1,592 | −$277 |
| Take-home pay | $5,839 | $5,299 | −$540 |
| Rent | $1,322 | $1,047 | −$275 |
| Getting around | $568 | $567 | −$1 |
| Groceries | $384 | $385 | +$1 |
| Healthcare | $432 | $433 | +$1 |
| Utilities | $240 | $241 | +$1 |
| Everything else | $336 | $337 | +$1 |
| Left over | $2,557 | $2,290 | −$267 |
To break even in Winston-Salem, you'd need to earn
$87,500
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
+$417
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.2% in Charlotte, 23.1% in Winston-Salem.
More about Winston-Salem
Charlotte, NC in full
A banking hub with a 4.25% flat tax and mild winters.
Winston-Salem, NC in full
A flat 4.25% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,246 and 221 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Winston-Salem on Winston-Salem wages.
Winston-Salem → Charlotte →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Winston-Salem than Charlotte?
A one-bedroom is about $1,322 in Charlotte versus $1,047 in Winston-Salem. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $267 a month lower in Winston-Salem. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Winston-Salem have state income tax?
Winston-Salem is in North Carolina, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Charlotte to Winston-Salem?
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 Winston-Salem 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.