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TrueCOLA Project, the true cost of living: a laptop showing cost of living by state, household income against essential costs, and essential cost categories, for 50 states, 435 districts, and more than 26,000 ZIP codes.

August 2026 · NC

North Carolina

Current published state margins from the monthly report. District pages for North Carolina are listed below.

August 2026 median household renter margin -$1,112 per month.

In August 2026, the renter margin in North Carolina is highest for the Senior 65+ group at -$571 per month and lowest for the Two Social Security group at -$3,405. The median household renter margin here is -$1,112, compared with a national figure of -$959.

Monthly margins by income group

Income groupRenterOwner blendedOwner with mortgageOwner paid off
One adult-$2,280-$1,818-$2,312-$1,164
Two adults-$2,003-$1,541-$2,035-$886
Median household-$1,112-$649-$1,143+$5
Senior 65+-$571-$108-$602+$546
Senior couple 65+-$685-$223-$717+$432
Social Security-$2,500-$2,038-$2,531-$1,383
Two Social Security-$3,405-$2,943-$3,437-$2,288

North Carolina on the map

North Carolina across published months

Median household renter margin changed by -$12 from July 2026 to August 2026. Both figures are the published monthly values.

EditionMedian renter marginDated report
August 2026-$1,112August 2026 dated page
July 2026-$1,100July 2026 dated page
June 2026-$1,098June 2026 dated page

Districts in North Carolina

Median household margins for each congressional district in North Carolina, August 2026. Each district page shows every income group, the change from the prior month, and past editions.

DistrictRepresentativeRenterOwner blended
NC-1Donald G. Davis-$1,905-$1,460
NC-2Deborah K. Ross+$87+$90
NC-3Gregory F. Murphy-$1,474-$1,034
NC-4Valerie P. Foushee+$595+$654
NC-5Virginia Foxx-$1,728-$1,197
NC-6Addison P. McDowell-$1,272-$808
NC-7David Rouzer-$1,329-$841
NC-8Mark Harris-$851-$218
NC-9Richard Hudson-$1,272-$818
NC-10Pat Harrigan-$1,212-$667
NC-11Chuck Edwards-$1,624-$772
NC-12Alma S. Adams-$882-$598
NC-13Brad Knott-$764-$307
NC-14Tim Moore-$1,005-$458

What these numbers mean

The margin is net income minus required costs. The margin is not an inflation rate and does not replace the CPI. A negative margin means the required monthly costs are larger than net income after taxes.

The renter column uses current asking rent. The owner columns use housing costs for homeowners: with a mortgage, with the home paid off, and a blend of the two. The basket is a market-price standard: current asking rent and unsubsidized average marketplace premiums. It can run above what a settled household pays, and the methodology states this.

Read the full method on the methodology page, compare other states on the list of all states, or open the district map.