Wake County · North Carolina · South · 53k residents
Wake Forest, NC: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Wake Forest: 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: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Wake Forest is $474,500, 54% above the North Carolina median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,548/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 106 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $123,802 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Wake Forest is $474,500, 53.5% above the median for ACS-covered places in North Carolina.
- Household income: Median household income is $123,802, 72.1% above the median for ACS-covered places in North Carolina.
- Adult education: 59.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 56.2% above the median for ACS-covered places in North Carolina.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 3.8 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
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 Wake Forest about 51 miles from the nearest tracked lake.
- Climate signal: The profile records 213 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 34 and an average commute of 25 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Wake Forest side by side
Cost of living index
106
ACS median home value
$474,500
2-bedroom rent
$1,548/mo
Median household income
$123,802
Housing momentum
How fast Wake Forest's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
24/100
Cooling
Ranks Wake Forest'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.
Adjusted by Wake Forest's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $474,500 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $190 |
| Property tax rate | 0.82% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,319/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,548/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.15% |
| Sales tax | 7% |
| Cost of living index | 106 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $55/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,050/mo |
| Median household income | $123,802 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% |
| Population | 53k |
| Crime index | 48/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 96/100 |
| Avg. commute | 25 min |
| Sunny days / year | 213 days |
| July high | 87°F |
| January low | 28°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.6% |
| Home price MoM | -0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +0.3% |
| Rent MoM | +0.1% |
| Ocean coast | 125 mi |
| Big lake | 51 mi |
| Mountains | 173 mi |
| Major airport | 16 mi |
| Ski resort | 136 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Knightdale, NC · 20k
- Raleigh, NC · 481k
- Morrisville, NC · 31k
- Durham, NC · 291k
- Cary, NC · 179k
Similar size
- Mooresville, NC · 52k
- Rocky Mount, NC · 54k
- Wilson, NC · 48k
- Kannapolis, NC · 58k
- Burlington, NC · 60k
Real listings in Wake Forest
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Wake Forest, NC?
- Wake Forest indexes at 106 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,548/mo and a acs median home value of $474,500.
- How much does a house cost in Wake Forest?
- The acs median home value in Wake Forest is $474,500, 54% above the North Carolina median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Wake Forest?
- A two-bedroom in Wake Forest rents for about $1,548/mo.