Photo: Leonard J. DeFrancisci · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Pinehurst costs more to live in than 76% of U.S. towns
It ranks #234 of 290 in North Carolina for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 60% 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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area ($86K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Pinehurst’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($86K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 19% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 57% of renters.
In dollars
- $532Ktypical home, 60% above the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,960a 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
- 5.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$86K, Pinehurst-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 57%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 19%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Pinehurst, in brief
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pinehurst gained 4,457 residents while 1,019 new homes were permitted: about 4.4 new residents per new home, against 1.7 across North Carolina. New homes ↓
The priciest town in its area
Pinehurst tops the three neighboring towns with a Zillow value. The next most expensive is Southern Pines at $451K; the least, Taylortown at $183K. Vs. neighbors ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 1,140 homes permitted in Pinehurst’s past 10 years, every one was a single-family house. 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 September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Pinehurst’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pinehurst is more affordable than 24% of U.S. towns, #234 of 290 in North Carolina. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Pinehurst home is up 29.7% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.7% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Pinehurst | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $284,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $294,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $301,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $312,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $346,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $435,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $492,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $516,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $526,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $531,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $532,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Pinehurst home worth $282K in October 2016 is worth about $532K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 5.4 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, September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pinehurst’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $184K short of a typical Pinehurst home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,960 a month here, $1,110 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pinehurst’s typical property tax (0.63% 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 $1,960
Renters already here pay a median of $1,664, 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 (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.
93 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 93 new homes in Pinehurst in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $27.8 million to build. That's 5.1 per 1,000 residents, slower than across North Carolina (11). Over the past 10 years, Pinehurst has permitted 1,140 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pinehurst gained 4,457 residents while 1,019 new homes were permitted: about 4.4 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 28 | 28 | 0 | $19.1 million |
| 2025 | 93 | 93 | 0 | $27.8 million |
| 2024 | 81 | 81 | 0 | $37.5 million |
| 2023 | 59 | 59 | 0 | $28.6 million |
| 2022 | 64 | 64 | 0 | $26.2 million |
| 2021 | 114 | 114 | 0 | $45.9 million |
| 2020 | 171 | 171 | 0 | $43.6 million |
| 2019 | 153 | 153 | 0 | $43.8 million |
| 2018 | 125 | 125 | 0 | $26.4 million |
| 2017 | 152 | 152 | 0 | $35 million |
| 2016 | 128 | 128 | 0 | $25.5 million |
| 2015 | 95 | 95 | 0 | $24 million |
| 2014 | 121 | 121 | 0 | $27.4 million |
| 2013 | 79 | 79 | 0 | $19 million |
| 2012 | 63 | 63 | 0 | $17.5 million |
| 2011 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $14 million |
| 2010 | 49 | 49 | 0 | $12.5 million |
| 2009 | 48 | 48 | 0 | $14.8 million |
| 2008 | 77 | 77 | 0 | $32.8 million |
| 2007 | 159 | 159 | 0 | $45.4 million |
| 2006 | 240 | 240 | 0 | $56.6 million |
| 2005 | 275 | 275 | 0 | $51.6 million |
| 2004 | 246 | 246 | 0 | $51.5 million |
| 2003 | 202 | 202 | 0 | $33.4 million |
| 2002 | 233 | 233 | 0 | $42.8 million |
| 2001 | 212 | 212 | 0 | $37.9 million |
| 2000 | 202 | 202 | 0 | $39.8 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 $3,010 (North Carolina: $1,896), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.63% 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 Pinehurst
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.
Pinehurst vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Pinehurst has the 4th-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinehurst | C− | $532K | $477K | 0.63% | $1,960 |
| Southern Pines | C− | $451K | $451K | 0.62% | $1,520 |
| Taylortown | – | $183K | $188K | 0.71% | $1,240 |
| Aberdeen | B | $349K | $315K | 0.66% | $1,160 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Pinehurst
Is Pinehurst expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pinehurst costs more than 76% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #234 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 5.5 years of the median household income of the Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro area ($86K).
How much does a house cost in Pinehurst?
About $532K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.2% in a year. The North Carolina typical home is $332K.
What salary do you need to live in Pinehurst?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $132,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,070 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $78,000.
How much is rent in Pinehurst?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,960 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,664 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pinehurst?
The median bill is $3,010 a year, 0.63% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pinehurst going up?
Barely: up 0.2% in the past year and 29.7% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pinehurst 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.