St. Stephens, NC Cost Of Living

St. Stephens 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	St. Stephens	North Carolina	National
Cost of living index	89	94	100
Index	St. Stephens	North Carolina	National
Goods & Services index	101	98	100
Groceries index	96	98	100
Health care index	105	107	100
Housing index	64	85	100
Transportation index	96	98	100
Utilities index	100	96	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for St. Stephens, NC is displayed above. In St. Stephens, NC, the overall cost of living index is 89, which is 6% lower than the North Carolina average and 11% lower than the U.S. average. The following categories are used to calculate the overall cost of living index: goods/services (33%), housing (30%), groceries (13%), utilities (10%), transportation (9%) and health care (5%). From the list, it is clear that the categories of goods/services and housing are responsible for the largest portions of the overall cost of living index. As a general rule, everyday goods and services provide an accurate measure of the general cost of goods in any given city. In the case of St. Stephens, NC, the city's goods and services are 3% higher than the North Carolina average and 1% higher than the U.S. average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in St. Stephens is 6% lower than the North Carolina average.
The cost of living in St. Stephens is 11% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in St. Stephens is 36% lower 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.

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Salary Calculator

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

The salary calculator is meant to help you compare your salary in St. Stephens, NC to your potential earning power in another city. This can help you deduce what your salary would need to be in any given city in order for you to live the same lifestyle that you do in your current city. In other words, if you plan on moving to a city where the cost of living is higher than in St. Stephens, NC, you'll have to make more money in the new city in order to maintain the lifestyle you currently enjoy. To use the St. Stephens, NC salary calculator, simply input the new city, then move the adjustable slider to match your current income. Once you've selected your income, the calculator will determine if that income is sufficient to support your standard of living in the new city you entered. The calculator will also supply you with a rundown of living costs in the new city.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$47,491	$3,958	$1,108	$1,425
Renters	$30,897	$2,575	$721	$927

A good way to judge both the affordability of the housing and the cost of living is by simply calculating the maximum that a person should spend on housing in St. Stephens, NC, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The safest way to live in the city is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income that one earns on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. St. Stephens, NC has a median income of about $47,491 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a person should spend a maximum of $1,108 on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $30,897. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $721 on all of their rental costs if they want to maintain a non-impoverished standard of living.

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 you are determining the total cost of living in St. Stephens, NC you will want to make sure you consider both the North Carolina sales tax and the North Carolina income tax rates. Sales tax come in the form of taxes levied on both services and goods that are sold. The sales tax rates are different state to state and range from zero sales tax to higher than 7%. The sales tax in North Carolina is 4.75%, with the highest surtax being 7.5%. Tax that is on income by the government is income tax. Different states have different income tax rates and these rates can be higher or lower dependent on the corresponding tax bracket. The state income tax rates are different state to state and range from no income tax to more than 9% income tax. The income tax rates in North Carolina have a range from 5.75% to 5.75%.

Goods & Services

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$17.75	$16.09	10.3%
Beauty Salon	$33.80	$37.33	9.5%
Toothpaste	$3.18	$2.45	29.8%
Shampoo	$1.17	$1.00	17.3%
Movie	$10.91	$10.28	6.2%
Bowling	$5.78	$4.93	17.1%

Groceries

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.79	$3.80	0.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.17	$1.40	16.2%
Milk	$1.87	$2.01	6.7%
Potatoes	$2.97	$3.01	1.5%
Pizza	$8.52	$9.89	13.8%
Beer	$8.92	$8.90	0.3%

Health Care

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$113.53	$102.16	11.1%
Doctor	$102.91	$108.36	5.0%
Dentist	$113.63	$92.53	22.8%
Ibuprofen	$7.03	$9.28	24.3%
Lipitor	$418.61	$425.82	1.7%

Housing

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$120,600.00	$184,700.00	34.7%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$971.92	$1,202.44	19.2%
Apartment Rent	$565.00	$949.00	40.5%

Transportation

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.14	$2.24	4.8%
Tire Balancing	$45.78	$46.29	1.1%

Utilities

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$154.11	$165.96	7.1%
Phone	$31.00	$28.68	8.1%

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.
Hiddenite, NC	491	79	-21%
Stony Point, NC	1,761	79	-21%
Rhodhiss, NC	1,026	85	-15%
Long View, NC	5,071	86	-14%
Brookford, NC	393	86	-14%
St. Stephens, NC	8,483	89	-11%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fairmount, CO	8,484	127	27%
Hanover, NH	8,482	148	48%
Wyoming, OH	8,484	114	14%
La Grange, KY	8,481	93	-7%
Center Moriches, NY	8,485	136	36%
St. Stephens, NC	8,483	89	-11%

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

St. Stephens, NC Cost of Living