Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Measured against area pay, Claremont costs less to live in than 60% of U.S. towns
Up 2.4% in a year, 23% below the North Carolina typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Hickory metro earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.1 years of metro income, and 23% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $256Ktypical home, 23% below the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,140a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Hickory metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 60)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, Hickory-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 23%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 12%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Claremont?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Claremont’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Claremont is more affordable than 60% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Claremont home is up 33.7% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 33.7% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Claremont | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $116,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $123,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $134,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $146,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $172,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $194,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $225,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $240,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $248,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $252,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $256,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Claremont home worth $113K in October 2016 is worth about $256K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Claremont’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $3K short of a typical Claremont home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140 a month here, $350 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Claremont’s typical property tax (0.68% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,140
Renters already here pay a median of $938, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,730, under the North Carolina median of $1,896, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.68% a year, against 0.66% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Claremont
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area, or North Carolina. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 88 | NC 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | NC 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | NC 89 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | NC 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Claremont and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claremont | B | $256K | $255K | 0.68% | $1,140 |
Questions about the cost of living in Claremont
Is Claremont expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Claremont costs less than 60% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.1 years of the median household income of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area ($63K).
How much does a house cost in Claremont?
About $256K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.4% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Claremont?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $64,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,490 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $46,000.
How much is rent in Claremont?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,140 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $938 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Claremont?
The median bill is $1,730 a year, 0.68% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Claremont going up?
Yes: up 2.4% in the past year and 33.7% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Claremont buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.