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Two North Carolina Cities Are The Cheapest Places To Raise A Family In The US

Author Melanie Day

One of the most important decisions you can make is where to settle down and raise your family. You want a location that is safe, close to family and amenities, has great schools, and has a low cost of living. That sounds too good to be true right? Well, new research from GoBankingRates has revealed the cheapest cities to raise a family in the US. And two North Carolina cities were actually named the cheapest cities to raise a family. Which is great news. We know North Carolina itself is a great place to raise kids. You’ve got a close proximity to the beach and the mountains. You get all four seasons, access to major airports, professional sports teams, attractions, wonderful state universities, and more. So add in that affordability factor and it’s truly like hitting the jackpot.

Here are the two cities that GoBankingRates named as the cheapest places to raise a family in the US. These are two of the twenty cities recognized by the publication.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

  • Annual total expenditures for a family: $80,406
  • Annual total necessities expenditures for a family: $35,979
  • Cost of living index: 82.0

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

  • Annual total expenditures for a family: $79,720
  • Annual total necessities expenditures for a family: $36,389
  • Cost of living index: 81.3

Of the two I think I would select Winston-Salem just because I’m a city girl and Winston is a larger city and also easily accessible to Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. Fayetteville gets you closer to the beach though. Probably close enough for a quick day trip. But either city can be a fantastic place to settle down and raise your kids!

So how was this data collected and analyzed? They used US Census data to determine the 150 cities with the most families living in them. From there they calculated the annual living expenses using data from the 2021 Consumer Expenditure Suvery from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Necessities include housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare and transportation. You can read the full list and study from GoBankingRates here.

North Carolina City Is The Number 1 Cheapest Place To Live Nationwide

Looking for a place where you’re money is going to go farther? We all need that these days! The price of everything is going up seemingly daily, and somehow my salary is not. And while yes the cost of living in Charlotte and Raleigh is lower than many other cities nationwide, it’s not at a point where it can be described as “affordable” anymore. But while the largest cities in the state aren’t cheap, it was a North Carolina city that topped the US News list of the cheapest place to live nationwide. Who would have guessed?

So how do you determine the cheapest place to live? According to US News and World Report, these rankings are based on the median gross rent and annual housing costs for mortgage-paying homeowners of each metro area, these are the cities with the lowest cost of living in the country.

Not only did a North Carolina city top the list for the cheapest place to live nationwide another one made the top 25 list as well. And if that wasn’t good enough, two South Carolina cities also were included, back to back no less. The North Carolina locations may surprise you, they both did me. But the South Carolina ones make sense and one is actually a very trendy place to live and visit. Sometimes though you just have to pay a premium for that location.

Are you looking for a place outside of North or South Carolina to live? Some other nationwide cities recognized included Youngstown, OH, Huntsville, AL, and Green Bay, WI. Keep reading to see the four Carolina cities that made the list. You can read the full top 25 cheapest cities to live list via US News and World Report and check out the methodology here.

 

  • 16. Winston-Salem, NC

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Downtown Skyline.

    The first Carolina city to make the top 25 is Winston-Salem. This Triad city has a population of over 250,000.

    Overall Score: 6.4

    Quality Of Life: 6.7

    Value: 7.7

  • 12. Greenville, SC

    Drone Aerial of the Downtown Greenville, South Carolina SC Skyline

    Greenville is trending and growing as one of the premiere places to live in South Carolina. Even better than just being one of the trendiest it’s also one of the cheapest and most affordable spots in the country.

    Overall Score: 6.5

    Quality Of Life: 6.4

    Value: 7.8

  • 11. Spartanburg, SC

    Greenville South Carolina SC Skyline Aerial at Sunset.

    Greenville was beaten out by nearby Spartanburg. But just by one spot. You’re close enough to Greenville, halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, and it’s affordable. What could be better?

    Overall Score: 6.4

    Quality Of Life: 6.3

    Value: 7.8

  • 1. Hickory, NC

    Union Square Hickory NC

    And the answer is? Hickory! This town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains is about an hour from Charlotte and Asheville. Its low cost of living makes it a desirable place to live. This isn’t the first list we’ve seen giving some recognizing Hickory.

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.

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