Overall
93.2
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Burlington, NC
Cost-of-living indicators for Burlington, NC, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 93.2
- Overall RPP
- #205
- of 387 metros
- 77.9
- Rents RPP
- $107K
- $100K national buys
Burlington ranks #205 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Lebanon
The verdict
Burlington costs less than 53% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 93.2, 6.8% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 77.9.
- bottom 47%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 89.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,301 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $93,196.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$93,196
in Burlington, NC purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,598
$75,000 nationally
$69,897
$125,000 nationally
$116,495
$150,000 nationally
$139,794
$200,000 nationally
$186,392
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
52/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
52nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2022, when the index jumped 2.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Burlington overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.5 |
| 2009 | 91.9 |
| 2010 | 92.5 |
| 2011 | 93.5 |
| 2012 | 93.3 |
| 2013 | 93.8 |
| 2014 | 92.7 |
| 2015 | 93.2 |
| 2016 | 92.2 |
| 2017 | 92.2 |
| 2018 | 91.4 |
| 2019 | 90.4 |
| 2020 | 89.7 |
| 2021 | 89.4 |
| 2022 | 92.0 |
| 2023 | 93.0 |
| 2024 | 93.2 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Burlington's overall RPP rose +0.2 points, from 93.0 in 2023 to 93.2 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 84.9 to 89.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Burlington's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Burlington: rents index at 77.9, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 93.2.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Roanoke, VA, Athens-Clarke County, GA, Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC. They resemble Burlington across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Burlington's overall index has stayed within 0.7 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Burlington vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 47% higher than 47% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Burlington cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
77.9 RPP
- Services
Services
89.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
93.2 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.6 RPP
What this shows Burlington's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 77.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 89.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Burlington's cost comes from
Metros near Burlington's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Burlington (Burlington, this metro): goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 77.9
- Lebanon: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 66
- Greenville: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 76.8
- Green Bay: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 74.7
- Louisville/Jefferson County: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 78.6
- Huntsville: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 77.9
- Morgantown: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 69.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.6
Below avg
Services
89.2
Cheap
Rents
77.9
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Burlington, NC's index of 93.2.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Burlington's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Roanoke, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 88.9 · Rents 78.5 Athens-Clarke County, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 89.3 · Rents 76.8 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.8 · Rents 76.8 Warner Robins, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.1 · Rents 79.2 Columbia, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 79.5 Tallahassee, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 78.5
NC-relative analysis
Goods prices places Burlington, NC near the bottom of NC's metros
Among the 15 NC metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Burlington, NC ranks #1 - the 7th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Burlington, NC only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 15
7th percentile in NC
Services prices
#2 of 15
87th percentile in NC
Rent prices
#6 of 15
60th percentile in NC
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within NC only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Burlington, NC: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (93.2 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (77.9 here).
Other NC Metros
Raleigh-Cary, NC 98.2 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 97.6 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 97.3 Asheville, NC 96.5 Wilmington, NC 96.4 Greensboro-High Point, NC 92.9
View all NC metros → Cheapest in NC → Most expensive in NC →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Burlington
How to read Burlington's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $107,301 in Burlington. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 77.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Burlington head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Burlington, NC?
Burlington, NC has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 93.2, meaning it is 6.8% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.6, services at 89.2, and rents at 77.9. It ranks #205 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Burlington, NC to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $93,196 in Burlington, NC. Conversely, $100K earned in Burlington, NC has the purchasing power of $107,301 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Burlington, NC?
Rents in Burlington, NC are indexed at 77.9, which is 22.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Burlington, NC getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Burlington, NC's overall cost index changed by +0.7 points (from 92.5 to 93.2). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Burlington, NC?
The priciest category in Burlington, NC is goods at 96.6, 3.4% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 77.9, 22.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Burlington, NC?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Lebanon, Greenville-Anderson-Greer, Green Bay. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Burlington, NC's 93.2.
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.