Cost Of Living In St. Stephens, NC

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	90	95	100
Index	St. Stephens	North Carolina	National
Goods & Services index	102	100	100
Groceries index	94	99	100
Health care index	104	105	100
Housing index	71	87	100
Transportation index	97	94	100
Utilities index	92	97	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 90, which is 5% lower than the North Carolina average and 10% 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 1% higher than the North Carolina average and 2% higher than the U.S. average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in St. Stephens is 5% lower than the North Carolina average.
The cost of living in St. Stephens is 10% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in St. Stephens is 29% 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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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	$51,122	$4,260	$1,193	$1,534
Renters	$25,375	$2,115	$592	$761

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 $51,122 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a person should spend a maximum of $1,193 on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $25,375. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $592 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	$16.25	$15.56	4.4%
Beauty Salon	$34.87	$36.11	3.4%
Toothpaste	$2.89	$2.47	16.8%
Shampoo	$1.04	$0.96	8.1%
Movie	$10.55	$10.13	4.2%
Bowling	$5.57	$4.74	17.6%

Groceries

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.85	$3.98	3.5%
Fried Chicken	$1.34	$1.41	5.0%
Milk	$1.95	$2.06	5.5%
Potatoes	$3.05	$2.98	2.3%
Pizza	$9.09	$9.47	4.1%
Beer	$8.69	$8.79	1.2%

Health Care

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$114.36	$101.04	13.2%
Doctor	$100.31	$107.44	6.6%
Dentist	$111.42	$90.42	23.2%
Ibuprofen	$6.63	$9.28	28.5%
Lipitor	$389.57	$426.50	8.7%

Housing

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$125,000.00	$175,700.00	28.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$871.06	$1,133.23	23.1%
Apartment Rent	$661.00	$920.00	28.2%

Transportation

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$1.95	$1.99	2.0%
Tire Balancing	$43.26	$45.76	5.5%

Utilities

Item	St. Stephens	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$156.74	$163.81	4.3%
Phone	$25.00	$28.39	11.9%

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	785	79	-21%
Stony Point, NC	1,674	80	-20%
Rhodhiss, NC	988	85	-15%
Brookford, NC	415	85	-15%
Catawba, NC	706	86	-14%
St. Stephens, NC	9,052	90	-10%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Charlotte, MI	9,053	87	-13%
Leonia, NJ	9,051	149	49%
Fitzgerald, GA	9,054	84	-16%
Fallston, MD	9,056	126	26%
Triangle, VA	9,048	133	33%
St. Stephens, NC	9,052	90	-10%

Source: The St. Stephens, NC cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for the fourth quarter of 2016.

St. Stephens, NC Cost of Living