Photo: James Willamor · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Nags Head costs less to live in than 52% of U.S. towns
It ranks #105 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability. About the same as a year ago, about twice 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 compares costs with what households across the Kill Devil Hills-area micro earn ($89K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 5.5 years of area income, and 64% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $711Ktypical home, 114% above the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,270a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$89K, Kill Devil Hills-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 64%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Nags Head’s housing numbers say
A second-home town
32% of Nags Head’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 272 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Renting costs far less than owning
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270 a month. Owning the typical Nags Head home, with 20% down at the calculator’s rate, runs about $4,040 with tax and insurance: 3 times as much. Can I afford it? ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 265 homes permitted in Nags Head’s past 10 years, 99% were single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Nags Head’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nags Head is more affordable than 52% of U.S. towns, #105 of 290 in North Carolina. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with North Carolina: up 24.9% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 24.9% in five years
About the same pace as North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Nags Head | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $395,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $407,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $429,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $431,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $475,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $615,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $693,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $708,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $712,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $712,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $711,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Nags Head home worth $389K in October 2016 is worth about $711K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 4.7 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Nags Head’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $346K short of a typical Nags Head home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270 a month here, $2,770 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Nags Head’s typical property tax (0.54% 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 $1,270
Renters already here pay a median of $1,005, 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 (Dare County, NC): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
21 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 21 new homes in Nags Head in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $12.4 million to build. That's 6.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across North Carolina (11). Over the past 10 years, Nags Head has permitted 265 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Nags Head gained 411 residents while 303 new homes were permitted: about 1.4 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 32% of Nags Head's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across North Carolina: 1.7 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 7 | 7 | 0 | $8.6 million |
| 2025 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $12.4 million |
| 2024 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $20.9 million |
| 2023 | 23 | 21 | 2 | $11.8 million |
| 2022 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $13.1 million |
| 2021 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $16.1 million |
| 2020 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $8.1 million |
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $6 million |
| 2018 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $15.3 million |
| 2017 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $16.3 million |
| 2016 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $17.4 million |
| 2015 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $9.4 million |
| 2014 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $23.2 million |
| 2013 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $8.4 million |
| 2012 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $13.2 million |
| 2011 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2010 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $6.1 million |
| 2009 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $7.7 million |
| 2008 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $8.2 million |
| 2007 | 74 | 35 | 39 | $17.6 million |
| 2006 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $14.9 million |
| 2005 | 94 | 94 | 0 | $34.3 million |
| 2004 | 95 | 95 | 0 | $32.8 million |
| 2003 | 130 | 130 | 0 | $39 million |
| 2002 | 209 | 209 | 0 | $63.1 million |
| 2001 | 156 | 156 | 0 | $33.9 million |
| 2000 | 159 | 159 | 0 | $30.5 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 $2,632 (North Carolina: $1,896), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.54% 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+”.
Nags Head vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Nags Head has the 2nd-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nags Head | B− | $711K | $491K | 0.54% | $1,270 |
| Kill Devil Hills | C− | $522K | $442K | 0.55% | $1,590 |
Questions about the cost of living in Nags Head
Is Nags Head expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Nags Head costs less than 52% of U.S. towns: a B− for cost of living, #105 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Kill Devil Hills, NC micro area ($89K).
How much does a house cost in Nags Head?
About $711K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.5% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Nags Head?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $173,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $4,040 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $51,000.
How much is rent in Nags Head?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,270 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,005 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Nags Head?
The median bill is $2,632 a year, 0.54% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Nags Head going up?
Barely: up 0.5% in the past year and 24.9% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Nags Head 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. 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.