Overall
- Winston-Salem
- 92.0
Diff +6.8 RPP
Winston-Salem vs Atlantic City-Hammonton
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Atlantic City-Hammonton is 7.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem.
7.4% more expensive
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ is 7.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.9 vs 92.0). A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem buys about the same as $107,403 in Atlantic City-Hammonton; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 92.0 (Winston-Salem) vs 98.9 (Atlantic City-Hammonton)
- $100k in Winston-Salem ≈ $107,403 purchasing power in Atlantic City-Hammonton
- Rents drives the gap (+27.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:NJ 92.0→98.9
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · RENT-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE NC × NJ
- RENT-LED Rent-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Winston-Salem would need to be in Atlantic City-Hammonton for the same purchasing power:
| In Winston-Salem | In Atlantic City-Hammonton | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,702 | +$3,702 |
| $75,000 | $80,552 | +$5,552 |
| $100,000 | $107,403 | +$7,403 |
| $150,000 | $161,105 | +$11,105 |
$ in Winston-Salem = in Atlantic City-Hammonton
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.0 → 98.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ is 7.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem, NC, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 6.8-point overall gap.
Rents leads the difference, with Atlantic City-Hammonton 27.3 points higher than Winston-Salem. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Winston-Salem corresponds to $107,403 in Atlantic City-Hammonton.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Winston-Salem
- 96.6
Diff +3.2 RPP
Services
- Winston-Salem
- 88.4
- Atlantic City-Hammonton
- 109.2
Diff +20.8 RPP
Rents
- Winston-Salem
- 71.4
Diff +27.3 RPP
| Category | Winston-Salem | Atlantic City-Hammonton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.0 | 98.9 | +6.8 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 99.8 | +3.2 |
| Services | 88.4 | 109.2 | +20.8 |
| Rents | 71.4 | 98.7 | +27.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Winston-Salem 92.0
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.9
Goods
Winston-Salem 96.6
Atlantic City-Hammonton 99.8
Services
Winston-Salem 88.4
Atlantic City-Hammonton 109.2
Rents
Winston-Salem 71.4
Atlantic City-Hammonton 98.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Winston-Salem
92.0
Cost Index
Atlantic City-Hammonton
98.9
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atlantic City-Hammonton more expensive than Winston-Salem?
Atlantic City-Hammonton is 7.4% more expensive than Winston-Salem. The overall cost index is 98.9 vs 92.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Atlantic City-Hammonton equals $100K in Winston-Salem?
A $100,000 salary in Winston-Salem has the same purchasing power as $107,403 in Atlantic City-Hammonton. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Winston-Salem and Atlantic City-Hammonton?
Rents in Winston-Salem are indexed at 71.4 while Atlantic City-Hammonton is at 98.7 (national average = 100). Atlantic City-Hammonton has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.