Measured against area pay, Pine Level costs less to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area ($100K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Raleigh metro earn ($100K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.2 years of metro income, and 58% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,350a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 98prices across the Raleigh metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 103)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$100K, Raleigh-area income
- 10%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Pine Level
What’s behind Pine Level’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pine Level is more affordable than 89% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 7 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 10% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pine Level’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pine Level home, with $176K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month here, $50 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pine Level’s typical property tax (0.76% 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 $1,350
Renters already here pay a median of $804, 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 (Raleigh-Cary, 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 $1,678, under the North Carolina median of $1,896, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.76% 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 Pine Level
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Raleigh-Cary, 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 | 98 | 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.
Pine Level vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Pine Level.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Level | A | — | $221K | 0.76% | $1,350 |
| Selma | A− | $272K | $172K | 0.79% | $1,350 |
“—” 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 Pine Level
Is Pine Level expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pine Level costs less than 89% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.2 years of the median household income of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area ($100K).
How much is rent in Pine Level?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,350 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $804 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pine Level?
The median bill is $1,678 a year, 0.76% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Pine Level buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 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.