Is Greensboro cheaper than Winston-Salem?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Greensboro or Winston-Salem?

Household incomes are similar — $66,072 in the Greensboro metro versus $65,903 in Winston-Salem (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Greensboro or Winston-Salem?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($71,148 versus $71,600).

Which has cheaper rent, Greensboro or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,171/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Greensboro vs Winston-Salem

Metro-area medians — Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area vs Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Winston-Salem comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Greensboro and Winston-Salem are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Greensboro, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,175

real value after local prices

Winston-Salem, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,740

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Winston-Salem leaves you about $564/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Greensboro

Winston-Salem

Livability (CityLedger)

43/100

46/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

92.9

92.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$71,148

$71,600

Median household income

$66,072

$65,903

Median rent

$1,171/mo

$1,102/mo

Median home value

$271,000

$270,700

Unemployment

3.6%

3.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

32.1%

33.4%

Average commute

23.6 min

23.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

60°F

Choose Greensboro for

+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Greensboro profile →

Choose Winston-Salem for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Winston-Salem profile →

Greensboro vs Winston-Salem — frequently asked

Is Greensboro cheaper than Winston-Salem?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Greensboro or Winston-Salem?: Household incomes are similar — $66,072 in the Greensboro metro versus $65,903 in Winston-Salem (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Greensboro or Winston-Salem?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($71,148 versus $71,600).
Which has cheaper rent, Greensboro or Winston-Salem?: Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,171/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).