Fulton County, GA vs Wake County, NC: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Wake County, NC is cheaper than Fulton County, GA.

Moving to Wake County, NC is estimated to save $624 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Wake County, NCSave about $624 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Fulton County, GA is about $49,520 in Wake County, NC.

Biggest drivers

Transport increases by $1,924 per year. Healthcare saves $788 per year.

Housing: $532 lower in Wake County, NC

Taxes: $503 lower in Wake County, NC

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $788 lower in Wake County, NC

Food: $427 lower in Wake County, NC

Transport: $1,924 higher in Wake County, NC

Fulton County, GAWake County, NC
Equivalent salary in Wake County, NC
$49,520
-0.96% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Fulton County, GA: $123,181
Median Income in Wake County, NC: $128,556
Living Index in Fulton County, GA 52.68%
Living Index in Wake County, NC 49.99%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Fulton County, GA to Wake County, NC.

* Living index is estimated as (estimated total cost / area median income) * 100. A living index above 100% means modeled costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary

Moving from Fulton County, GA to Wake County, NC is estimated to save $624 per year. A $50,000 salary in Fulton County, GA would have similar purchasing power to about $49,520 in Wake County, NC. The largest savings come from healthcare and housing.

This is a 0.96% decrease in modeled annual costs. Healthcare is $788 per year lower (12.72%); Housing is $532 per year lower (2.67%).

Below we break down the annual categories behind the difference using Economic Policy Institute 2026 Family Budget data.

What changed the most?

The following cards show the annual category differences that most affect the move to Wake County, NC.

Biggest Cost
Largest annual cost increase when moving to Wake County, NC
Annual Increase:

$1,924 per year

TRANSPORT has the largest annual increase when moving to Wake County, NC.

Biggest Savings
Largest annual savings when moving to Wake County, NC
Annual Savings:

$788 per year

HEALTHCARE has the largest annual savings when moving to Wake County, NC.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing-2.67% lower
Food-8.35% lower
Transport17.44% higher
Healthcare-12.72% lower
Other Costs-3.84% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-3.38% lower

In Wake County, NC, modeled annual costs are $64,269 compared with $64,893 in Fulton County, GA.

Overall, annual costs are lower in Wake County, NC. The category breakdown above shows where the move creates the most room in the budget.

In this case Wake County, NC and Fulton County, GA are both metropolitan locations.

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How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Fulton, GA vs Wake, NC Cost Difference