Residential comparison · 13 facts
Chapel Hill, NC vs Durham, NC
Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.
A household earning $85,000 in Chapel Hill needs about $82,500 in Durham to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Durham, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Chapel Hill.
A few differences
- Chapel Hill is lower on property tax rate (0.82% vs 0.95%).
- Chapel Hill is lower on sales tax (7% vs 7.5%).
- Chapel Hill is higher on median household income ($85,989 vs $74,000).
Chapel Hill vs Durham · facet by facet
| Facet | Chapel Hill, NC | Durham, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $613,700 | $400,000 |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,616/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Property tax rate | 0.82% | 0.95% |
| State & local income tax | 3.15% | 3.15% |
| Sales tax | 7% | 7.5% |
| Cost of living index | 115 | 96 |
| Groceries index | 98 | 98 |
| Utilities | $155/mo | $150/mo |
| Median household income | $85,989 | $74,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 3.6% |
| Crime index | 48/100 | 46/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Sunny days / year | 213 days | 212 days |
Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.
Full profiles: Chapel Hill, NC · Durham, NC
Questions & answers
- Is Chapel Hill cheaper than Durham?
- Durham has the lower day-to-day cost index (96 vs 115 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
- What household income in Durham equals $85,000 in Chapel Hill?
- A household earning $85,000 in Chapel Hill needs about $82,500 in Durham to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Durham lifestyle costs about $87,500 in Chapel Hill.