Morehead City, NC Cost Of Living

Morehead City cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Morehead City	North Carolina	National
Cost of living index	101	94	100
Index	Morehead City	North Carolina	National
Goods & Services index	97	98	100
Groceries index	103	98	100
Health care index	121	107	100
Housing index	101	85	100
Transportation index	107	98	100
Utilities index	100	96	100

A general summary of the cost of living index in Morehead City, NC is shown above. Compared to the state average of North Carolina the cost of living index in Morehead City, NC is 101, which is 7% higher than the average in North Carolina and compared to the national average it is 1% higher than. The cost of living index is made up of several categories. These are transportation at 9%, utilities at 10%, goods and services at 33%, housing at 30%, groceries at 13%, and health care at 5%. The bulk of the cost of living index comes from the categories of goods and services and housing. If you look at everyday goods and services they can be a good indicator in a certain city of the general costs of goods there. In Morehead City, NC goods and services come in at 1% lower than the average in North Carolina and are 3% lower than compared to the nationwide average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Morehead City is 7% higher than the North Carolina average.
The cost of living in Morehead City is 1% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Morehead City is 1% higher than the national average.
North Carolina general sales tax is 7% lower than the national average.
North Carolina state income tax is 159% higher than the national average.

Find Real Estate Listings In Morehead City

New Real Estate Listings In Morehead City

The best places in North Carolina

Here are the best places to live in North Carolina

Top 10 best public schools in Morehead City

10 best cities to buy a new house in North Carolina

See the best places to live in & around Morehead City

Compare Morehead City, NC Cost of living To Other Cities

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in Morehead City, NC to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in Morehead City, NC, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the Morehead City, NC salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$55,574	$4,631	$1,297	$1,667
Renters	$33,142	$2,762	$773	$994

The affordability of the housing market in Morehead City, NC as well as the overall cost of living can be indicated accurately by what percent of the monthly income is spent on housing related costs. This is konwn as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The overall rule of thumb is that no more than 28% of your gross income should ever be used on the overall costs related to housing and no more than 36% of gross income on all expenses and debts. Among Morehead City, NC homeowners, the median income is $55,574. This indicates that a monthly maximum of $1,297 should be spent by homeowners on all housing related costs. Renters have a median income of $33,142. This indicates that renters should have a maximum of $773 used for their rent related monthly costs.

North Carolina Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
North Carolina	4.75%	7.5%

North Carolina Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
North Carolina	5.75%	5.75%

When assessing the complete cost of living in Morehead City, NC, the North Carolina income tax and the North Carolina sales tax percentages should unquestionably be taken into consideration. Sales taxes aren't just levies imposed onto sold goods, but they also include taxes that are charged when services are provided for a fee. The rates are different from state to state and can run has high as 7 percent. Some states have no sales tax at all. The North Carolina maximum surtax is 7.5%, and the North Carolina sales tax is 4.75%. By contrast, income tax is an unfortunate obligation that is charged by the government against earnings. Just like sales taxes, the rates for income taxes differ from state to state. They also decrease or increase according to the individual's tax bracket. Tax rates can run as high as 9 percent, with a minimum of zero. Income tax rates range from 5.75% to 5.75% in North Carolina.

Goods & Services

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$14.50	$16.09	9.9%
Beauty Salon	$44.31	$37.33	18.7%
Toothpaste	$3.24	$2.45	32.4%
Shampoo	$1.13	$1.00	12.9%
Movie	$11.63	$10.28	13.1%
Bowling	$3.91	$4.93	20.7%

Groceries

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.42	$3.80	16.3%
Fried Chicken	$2.14	$1.40	53.4%
Milk	$2.11	$2.01	5.1%
Potatoes	$3.29	$3.01	9.3%
Pizza	$9.83	$9.89	0.6%
Beer	$8.36	$8.90	6.0%

Health Care

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$126.53	$102.16	23.9%
Doctor	$145.87	$108.36	34.6%
Dentist	$114.73	$92.53	24.0%
Ibuprofen	$9.26	$9.28	0.2%
Lipitor	$438.48	$425.82	3.0%

Housing

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$197,400.00	$184,700.00	6.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,067.31	$1,202.44	11.2%
Apartment Rent	$815.00	$949.00	14.1%

Transportation

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.18	$2.24	2.9%
Tire Balancing	$59.69	$46.29	29.0%

Utilities

Item	Morehead City	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$152.12	$165.96	8.3%
Phone	$32.00	$28.68	11.6%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Newport, NC	4,666	95	-5%
Marshallberg, NC	438	96	-4%
Havelock, NC	20,630	97	-3%
Gloucester, NC	583	97	-3%
Broad Creek, NC	2,365	98	-2%
Morehead City, NC	9,273	101	1%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Monmouth, IL	9,272	77	-23%
Ecorse, MI	9,270	80	-20%
Waseca, MN	9,267	91	-9%
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	9,265	114	14%
Grants, NM	9,263	83	-17%
Morehead City, NC	9,273	101	1%

Source: The Morehead City, NC cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Morehead City, NC Cost of Living