Photo: Bernardgeorgeh · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Pinebluff costs less to live in than 91% of U.S. towns
Up 1.5% in a year, 13% 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area ($86K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 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 Pinehurst metro earn ($86K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.7 years of metro income, and 27% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $287Ktypical home, 13% below the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,170a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Pinehurst metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 59)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$86K, Pinehurst-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 12%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind Pinebluff’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pinebluff is more affordable than 91% of U.S. towns. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Pinebluff home is up 32.8% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 32.8% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Pinebluff | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $140,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $149,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $157,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $168,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $191,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $222,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $259,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $275,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $285,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $285,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $287,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Pinebluff home worth $138K in October 2016 is worth about $287K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pinebluff’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pinebluff home, with $65K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,170 a month here, $470 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pinebluff’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 $1,170
Renters already here pay a median of $1,176.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
25 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 25 new homes in Pinebluff in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $8.1 million to build. That's 14 per 1,000 residents, faster than across North Carolina (11). Over the past 10 years, Pinebluff has permitted 145 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pinebluff gained 136 residents while 132 new homes were permitted: about 1 new resident per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 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) | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3 million |
| 2025 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $8.1 million |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $440,000 |
| 2021 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2018 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $4.6 million |
| 2017 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $4.9 million |
| 2016 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $808,000 |
| 2012 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2011 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2010 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2009 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $716,000 |
| 2007 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $829,000 |
| 2006 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2005 | 41 | 41 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2004 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2003 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2002 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.8 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the North Carolina norm
The median bill is $1,289 (North Carolina: $1,896), 0.55% of a home’s value 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 Pinebluff
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, 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.
Pinebluff 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinebluff | A | $287K | $234K | 0.55% | $1,170 |
Questions about the cost of living in Pinebluff
Is Pinebluff expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pinebluff costs less than 91% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.7 years of the median household income of the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area ($86K).
How much does a house cost in Pinebluff?
About $287K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.5% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Pinebluff?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $70,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,640 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $47,000.
How much is rent in Pinebluff?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,170 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,176 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pinebluff?
The median bill is $1,289 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pinebluff going up?
Yes: up 1.5% in the past year and 32.8% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pinebluff 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.