Kings County, NY vs Wake County, NC: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Wake County, NC is cheaper than Kings County, NY.

Moving to Wake County, NC is estimated to save $15,566 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Wake County, NCSave about $15,566 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Kings County, NY is about $40,250 in Wake County, NC.

Biggest drivers

Transport increases by $6,002 per year. Housing saves $8,917 per year.

Housing: $8,917 lower in Wake County, NC

Taxes: $5,814 lower in Wake County, NC

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $3,585 lower in Wake County, NC

Food: $369 lower in Wake County, NC

Transport: $6,002 higher in Wake County, NC

Kings County, NYWake County, NC
Equivalent salary in Wake County, NC
$40,250
-19.5% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Kings County, NY: $87,226
Median Income in Wake County, NC: $128,556
Living Index in Kings County, NY 91.53%
Living Index in Wake County, NC 49.99%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Kings County, NY 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 Kings County, NY to Wake County, NC is estimated to save $15,566 per year. A $50,000 salary in Kings County, NY would have similar purchasing power to about $40,250 in Wake County, NC. The largest savings come from housing and taxes.

This is a 19.5% decrease in modeled annual costs. Housing is $8,917 per year lower (31.53%); Taxes is $5,814 per year lower (28.78%).

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:

$6,002 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:

$8,917 per year

HOUSING 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-31.53% lower
Food-7.30% lower
Transport86.31% higher
Healthcare-39.87% lower
Other Costs-27.86% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-28.78% lower

In Wake County, NC, modeled annual costs are $64,269 compared with $79,835 in Kings County, NY.

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 Kings County, NY are both metropolitan locations.

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How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Kings, NY vs Wake, NC Cost Difference