Fargo vs Winston-Salem leftover
Moving to Winston-Salem costs you $899 a month
$2,291/mo leftover in Winston-Salem vs $3,190 in Fargo after tax and rent ($899 less). −$10,788 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Fargo leftover
$3,190
a month after tax and rent
Winston-Salem leftover
$2,291
−$899 vs Fargo
Compare Fargo to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Fargo.
Monthly gap
Fargo → Winston-Salem
$899
less / month in Fargo
$2,291 in Winston-Salem · $3,190 in Fargo · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$899 / mo
| Per month | Fargo | Winston-Salem | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,375 | $6,892 | −$483 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,529 | $1,592 | +$63 |
| Take-home pay | $5,846 | $5,300 | −$546 |
| Rent | $885 | $1,047 | +$162 |
| Getting around | $505 | $567 | +$62 |
| Groceries | $349 | $385 | +$36 |
| Healthcare | $393 | $433 | +$40 |
| Utilities | $218 | $241 | +$23 |
| Everything else | $306 | $337 | +$31 |
| Left over | $3,190 | $2,291 | −$899 |
To break even in Winston-Salem, you'd need to earn
$99,000
Household gross, versus $88,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Fargo does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,477
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.7% in Fargo, 23.1% in Winston-Salem.
More about Winston-Salem
Fargo, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,054 and 193 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
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 → Fargo →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Winston-Salem than Fargo?
A one-bedroom is about $885 in Fargo versus $1,047 in Winston-Salem. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $899 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 Fargo 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 Fargo 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.