Photo: NCDOTcommunications · CC BY 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Wilmington costs more to live in than 86% of U.S. towns
It ranks #271 of 290 in North Carolina and #223 of 400 U.S. cities over 100,000 for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 25% 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 Wilmington, NC metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Wilmington’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($76K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 23% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 56% of renters.
In dollars
- $417Ktypical home, 25% above the North Carolina typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,710a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Wilmington metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 93)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 5.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Wilmington-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 56%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across North Carolina: 49%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Wilmington’s housing numbers say
About half of Wilmington rents
52% of households rent their home, 28,265 in all, against 33% across North Carolina. Renting ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Wilmington’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $270K falls short here but covers the typical home in Wrightsboro ($256K). Can I afford it? ↓
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; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Wilmington’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Wilmington is more affordable than 14% of U.S. towns, #271 of 290 in North Carolina. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have outpaced North Carolina: the typical Wilmington home is up 29.4% in five years, against 22.0% statewide (Zillow).
Up 29.4% in five years
Faster than North Carolina (22%).
Show as a table
| January | Wilmington | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $220,000 | $178,000 |
| 2018 | $234,000 | $189,000 |
| 2019 | $246,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $260,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $286,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $337,000 | $285,000 |
| 2023 | $384,000 | $318,000 |
| 2024 | $409,000 | $330,000 |
| 2025 | $419,000 | $336,000 |
| 2026 | $415,000 | $334,000 |
| September 2026 | $417,000 | $332,000 |
A typical Wilmington home worth $216K in October 2016 is worth about $417K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.7 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 5.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Wilmington’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $111K short of a typical Wilmington home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,710 a month here, $710 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Wilmington’s typical property tax (0.67% 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 $1,710
Renters already here pay a median of $1,395, 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 (Wilmington, NC HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the North Carolina norm
The median bill is $2,558 (North Carolina: $1,896), 0.67% 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 Wilmington
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Wilmington, 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 | 96 | 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.
Wilmington vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Wilmington has the lowest. Ogden and Myrtle Grove and Silver Lake and Murraysville and Kings Grant and Wrightsboro have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | D | $417K | $384K | 0.67% | $1,710 |
| Hightsville | – | — | $228K | — | $1,430 |
| Silver Lake | C | — | $326K | 0.47% | $1,740 |
| Wrightsboro | B+ | — | $256K | 0.42% | $1,530 |
| Kings Grant | C+ | — | $301K | 0.43% | $1,720 |
| Ogden | C− | — | $464K | 0.52% | $2,010 |
| Murraysville | C+ | — | $321K | 0.46% | $2,030 |
| Myrtle Grove | C | — | $439K | 0.46% | $1,950 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Wilmington
Is Wilmington expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Wilmington costs more than 86% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #271 of 290 in North Carolina. The typical home costs 5.0 years of the median household income of the Wilmington, NC metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Wilmington?
About $417K, 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 Wilmington?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $104,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,420 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $68,000.
How much is rent in Wilmington?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,710 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,395 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Wilmington?
The median bill is $2,558 a year, 0.67% of the median home value (North Carolina: $1,896, 0.66%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Wilmington going up?
Barely: up 0.2% in the past year and 29.4% in five years, against 22.0% across North Carolina (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Wilmington 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. 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.