Measured against area pay, Forest Oaks costs more to live in than 53% of U.S. towns
It ranks #117 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Greensboro-High Point, NC metro area ($66K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Greensboro metro earn ($66K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.3 years of metro income, and 100% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,370a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Greensboro metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 75)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$66K, Greensboro-area income
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Forest Oaks
Most homes are under contract within two weeks
In May, 22% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 67% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.7 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 3.9 across North Carolina: 15 listings for 9 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
Nearly every household owns
91% of Forest Oaks households own their home, against 67% across North Carolina. There are only 144 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Forest Oaks, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Forest Oaks’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Forest Oaks is more affordable than 47% of U.S. towns, #117 of 290 in North Carolina. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 71% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Forest Oaks rose 71% over the past 5 years, faster than across North Carolina (60%). Last year prices rose 5.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Forest Oaks home at roughly $437,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $437K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Forest Oaks, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 9 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 5.3 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Forest Oaks’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $169K short of a typical Forest Oaks home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,370 a month here, $1,140 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Forest Oaks’s typical property tax (0.59% 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 $1,370
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Greensboro-High Point, NC HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $2,078 (North Carolina: $1,896), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.59% 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 Forest Oaks
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Greensboro-High Point, 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 | 93 | NC 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | NC 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 89 | 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.
Forest Oaks vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Forest Oaks.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Oaks | B− | — | $349K | 0.59% | $1,370 |
| Greensboro | C− | $261K | $245K | 0.93% | $1,460 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Forest Oaks
Is Forest Oaks expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Forest Oaks costs more than 53% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #117 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 5.3 years of the median household income of the Greensboro-High Point, NC metro area ($66K).
How much is rent in Forest Oaks?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,370 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Forest Oaks?
The median bill is $2,078 a year, 0.59% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Forest Oaks buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.