?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

New Bern, NC vs Sanford, 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 New Bern needs about $88,500 in Sanford to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Sanford, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $81,500 in New Bern.

A few differences

New Bern vs Sanford · facet by facet
FacetNew Bern, NCSanford, NC
Median home price$240,100$245,400
2-bedroom rent$1,074/mo$1,049/mo
Property tax rate0.82%0.82%
State & local income tax3.15%3.15%
Sales tax7%7%
Cost of living index8686
Groceries index9898
Utilities$155/mo$155/mo
Median household income$61,031$57,586
Unemployment rate3.8%3.8%
Crime index48/10048/100
School rating6.0/106.0/10
Sunny days / year213 days213 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: New Bern, NC · Sanford, NC
Questions & answers
Is New Bern cheaper than Sanford?
New Bern and Sanford display the same day-to-day cost index; the differences show up facet by facet in the table above.
What household income in Sanford equals $85,000 in New Bern?
A household earning $85,000 in New Bern needs about $88,500 in Sanford to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Sanford lifestyle costs about $81,500 in New Bern.