Photo: Yuming Huang · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Kill Devil Hills costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #228 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability. Up 1.9% in a year, 57% above the North Carolina typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Kill Devil Hills, NC micro area ($89K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Kill Devil Hills’ area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($89K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 25% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 48% of renters.
In dollars
- $522Ktypical home, 57% above the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,590a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$89K, Kill Devil Hills-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 25%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Kill Devil Hills
What’s behind Kill Devil Hills’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kill Devil Hills is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #228 of 290 in North Carolina. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Kill Devil Hills home is up 28.7% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 28.7% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Kill Devil Hills | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $274,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $287,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $299,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $304,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $343,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $431,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $490,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $509,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $516,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $518,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $522,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Kill Devil Hills home worth $270K in October 2016 is worth about $522K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A buyer's market
More homes are for sale than are selling — about 7 months of supply. Buyers have room to negotiate.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Kill Devil Hills’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $158K short of a typical Kill Devil Hills home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,590 a month here, $1,390 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Kill Devil Hills’s typical property tax (0.55% 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 $1,590
Renters already here pay a median of $1,626.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Dare County, NC): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
44 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 44 new homes in Kill Devil Hills in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $23.6 million to build. That's 5.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across North Carolina (11). Over the past 10 years, Kill Devil Hills has permitted 749 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Kill Devil Hills gained 973 residents while 574 new homes were permitted: about 1.7 new residents per new home, about the same as across North Carolina (1.7).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 20 | 20 | 0 | $10.4 million |
| 2025 | 44 | 44 | 0 | $23.6 million |
| 2024 | 61 | 61 | 0 | $35.4 million |
| 2023 | 57 | 49 | 8 | $21.2 million |
| 2022 | 90 | 79 | 11 | $33.5 million |
| 2021 | 112 | 112 | 0 | $17.5 million |
| 2020 | 74 | 74 | 0 | $18.4 million |
| 2019 | 63 | 57 | 6 | $27.4 million |
| 2018 | 92 | 92 | 0 | $26.5 million |
| 2017 | 82 | 82 | 0 | $23.6 million |
| 2016 | 74 | 74 | 0 | $21.3 million |
| 2015 | 62 | 62 | 0 | $17.9 million |
| 2014 | 61 | 46 | 15 | $16.1 million |
| 2013 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $11.3 million |
| 2012 | 40 | 40 | 0 | $11 million |
| 2011 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2010 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2009 | 31 | 24 | 7 | $5.6 million |
| 2008 | 63 | 39 | 24 | $9.5 million |
| 2007 | 182 | 82 | 100 | $34.7 million |
| 2006 | 98 | 78 | 20 | $25.3 million |
| 2005 | 200 | 191 | 9 | $39.4 million |
| 2004 | 159 | 135 | 24 | $38.2 million |
| 2003 | 111 | 111 | 0 | $27.9 million |
| 2002 | 138 | 138 | 0 | $32.6 million |
| 2001 | 145 | 143 | 2 | $22.2 million |
| 2000 | 146 | 146 | 0 | $21.7 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $2,442 (North Carolina: $1,896), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.55% 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+”.
Kill Devil Hills vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Kill Devil Hills has the lowest.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Devil Hills | C− | $522K | $442K | 0.55% | $1,590 |
| Nags Head | B− | $711K | $491K | 0.54% | $1,270 |
| Kitty Hawk | C+ | $645K | $535K | 0.51% | $1,610 |
Questions about the cost of living in Kill Devil Hills
Is Kill Devil Hills expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kill Devil Hills costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #228 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 5.0 years of the median household income of the Kill Devil Hills, NC micro area ($89K).
How much does a house cost in Kill Devil Hills?
About $522K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.9% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Kill Devil Hills?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $128,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,980 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $64,000.
How much is rent in Kill Devil Hills?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,590 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,626 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Kill Devil Hills?
The median bill is $2,442 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Kill Devil Hills going up?
Yes: up 1.9% in the past year and 28.7% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Kill Devil Hills 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, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.