?WhereToHQ

Buncombe County · North Carolina · South · 95k residents

Asheville, NC: cost of living, taxes & quality of life

Residential facts for Asheville: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the North Carolina median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.

Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.

The median home value in Asheville is $480,000, 55% above the North Carolina median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 104 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $61,000 a year.

What the numbers show

Source-confirmed findings

Limited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.

This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.

What makes this place distinctive

A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.

A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.

  • Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
  • Setting: The profile places Asheville about 20 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
  • Climate signal: The profile records 209 sunny days and 12 inches of annual snow.
  • Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 37 and an average commute of 20 minutes.

WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.

Compare Asheville side by side

Cost of living index

104

≈ US median

Median home value

$480,000

+55% vs state mediancheaper than 30% of US cities

2-bedroom rent

$1,800/mo

cheaper than 31% of US cities

Median household income

$61,000

15% vs state medianhigher than 21% of US cities

Housing momentum

How fast Asheville's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.

19/100

Cooling

Home prices YoY: -5.2% (bottom 3%)Rents YoY: +1.1% (bottom 30%)Home prices MoM: -0.5% (bottom 9%)
Momentum slowing · 26 over 2 yr

Ranks Asheville's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.

$a year

Adjusted by Asheville's cost-of-living index versus the US average.

All facets · Asheville
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Real listings in Asheville

Homes on ZillowRealtor.comRentals on ZillowApartments.com

Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.

Questions & answers
What is the cost of living in Asheville, NC?
Asheville indexes at 104 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,800/mo and a median home value of $480,000.
How much does a house cost in Asheville?
The median home value in Asheville is $480,000, 55% above the North Carolina median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
How much is rent in Asheville?
A two-bedroom in Asheville rents for about $1,800/mo.