Rent prices in North Carolina (FY2027)
The average FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in North Carolina is $1,441 a month including utilities — 18% below the U.S. average, ranging from $1,012 to $1,866 by area. Find your metro below and check what you can afford.
North Carolina average Fair Market Rent, FY2027 (rent + utilities)
$1,441/mo 2 bedrooms · ▲ 3.5% vs FY2026
Studio
U.S. $1,379 · 12% below U.S.
$1,215
1 bedroom
U.S. $1,478 · 13% below U.S.
$1,282
2 bedrooms
U.S. $1,761 · 18% below U.S.
$1,441
3 bedrooms
U.S. $2,266 · 20% below U.S.
$1,823
4 bedrooms
U.S. $2,607 · 13% below U.S.
$2,256
Ranks #29 of 51 (50 states + DC) for 2-bedroom rent. See all states
Metro areas in North Carolina
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
2.2M people · 1BR $1,640 · 3BR $2,179
Raleigh-Cary, NC
1.5M people · 1BR $1,552 · 3BR $2,103
Greensboro-High Point, NC
694K people · 1BR $1,168 · 3BR $1,644
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
562K people · 1BR $1,554 · 3BR $2,161
Winston-Salem, NC
517K people · 1BR $1,224 · 3BR $1,754
Asheville, NC
415K people · 1BR $1,714 · 3BR $2,223
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
368K people · 1BR $965 · 3BR $1,399
Fayetteville, NC
339K people · 1BR $1,334 · 3BR $1,937
Wilmington, NC
235K people · 1BR $1,566 · 3BR $2,238
Jacksonville, NC
208K people · 1BR $1,073 · 3BR $1,826
Iredell County, NC
197K people · 1BR $1,313 · 3BR $1,897
Greenville, NC
177K people · 1BR $967 · 3BR $1,518
Burlington, NC
177K people · 1BR $1,238 · 3BR $1,658
Davidson County, NC
173K people · 1BR $999 · 3BR $1,505
Brunswick County, NC
153K people · 1BR $1,446 · 3BR $2,062
Rowan County, NC
150K people · 1BR $1,012 · 3BR $1,604
Rocky Mount, NC
145K people · 1BR $972 · 3BR $1,567
Goldsboro, NC
119K people · 1BR $964 · 3BR $1,516
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
105K people · 1BR $1,116 · 3BR $1,701
Lincoln County, NC
93K people · 1BR $1,045 · 3BR $1,576
Rockingham County, NC
92K people · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,236
Pender County, NC
66K people · 1BR $1,101 · 3BR $1,660
Hoke County, NC
54K people · 1BR $903 · 3BR $1,592
Person County, NC
40K people · 1BR $805 · 3BR $1,401
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
1.8M people · 1BR $1,488 · 3BR $2,298
Anson County, NC
22K people · 1BR $895 · 3BR $1,362
Camden County, NC
11K people · 1BR $1,220 · 3BR $1,889
Gates County, NC
10K people · 1BR $1,489 · 3BR $2,291
2-bedroom FMR; arrow = change vs FY2026. Sorted by population in North Carolina. Tap a metro for studio to 4 bedrooms and the income you need.
Rural counties (non-metro)
Show all 55 non-metro counties (A–Z)
Alleghany County, NC
Studio $796 · 1BR $801 · 3BR $1,249 · 4BR $1,585
Ashe County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,325 · 4BR $1,330
Avery County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,346 · 4BR $1,531
Beaufort County, NC
Studio $795 · 1BR $800 · 3BR $1,320 · 4BR $1,552
Bertie County, NC
Studio $821 · 1BR $826 · 3BR $1,288 · 4BR $1,432
Bladen County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,392 · 4BR $1,397
Carteret County, NC
Studio $970 · 1BR $976 · 3BR $1,607 · 4BR $2,132
Caswell County, NC
Studio $771 · 1BR $776 · 3BR $1,316 · 4BR $1,531
Cherokee County, NC
Studio $705 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,343 · 4BR $1,585
Chowan County, NC
Studio $1,011 · 1BR $1,017 · 3BR $1,586 · 4BR $1,749
Clay County, NC
Studio $928 · 1BR $999 · 3BR $1,505 · 4BR $1,644
Cleveland County, NC
Studio $854 · 1BR $859 · 3BR $1,404 · 4BR $1,424
Columbus County, NC
Studio $858 · 1BR $863 · 3BR $1,206 · 4BR $1,330
Craven County, NC
Studio $946 · 1BR $952 · 3BR $1,644 · 4BR $1,985
Dare County, NC
Studio $1,194 · 1BR $1,387 · 3BR $1,918 · 4BR $2,001
Duplin County, NC
Studio $778 · 1BR $784 · 3BR $1,221 · 4BR $1,418
Graham County, NC
Studio $864 · 1BR $915 · 3BR $1,356 · 4BR $1,531
Granville County, NC
Studio $1,036 · 1BR $1,114 · 3BR $1,465 · 4BR $1,835
Greene County, NC
Studio $864 · 1BR $899 · 3BR $1,265 · 4BR $1,531
Halifax County, NC
Studio $782 · 1BR $787 · 3BR $1,375 · 4BR $1,583
Harnett County, NC
Studio $891 · 1BR $896 · 3BR $1,455 · 4BR $1,757
Haywood County, NC
Studio $1,008 · 1BR $1,113 · 3BR $1,489 · 4BR $2,089
Hertford County, NC
Studio $705 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,401 · 4BR $1,402
Hyde County, NC
Studio $811 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,291 · 4BR $1,531
Jackson County, NC
Studio $916 · 1BR $954 · 3BR $1,360 · 4BR $1,366
Jones County, NC
Studio $811 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,219 · 4BR $1,692
Lee County, NC
Studio $906 · 1BR $912 · 3BR $1,405 · 4BR $1,805
Lenoir County, NC
Studio $783 · 1BR $788 · 3BR $1,273 · 4BR $1,508
Macon County, NC
Studio $707 · 1BR $851 · 3BR $1,236 · 4BR $1,335
Martin County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,325 · 4BR $1,330
McDowell County, NC
Studio $864 · 1BR $910 · 3BR $1,289 · 4BR $1,330
Mitchell County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,206 · 4BR $1,330
Montgomery County, NC
Studio $825 · 1BR $830 · 3BR $1,325 · 4BR $1,675
Northampton County, NC
Studio $811 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,206 · 4BR $1,346
Pamlico County, NC
Studio $872 · 1BR $878 · 3BR $1,309 · 4BR $1,646
Pasquotank County, NC
Studio $957 · 1BR $963 · 3BR $1,689 · 4BR $1,988
Perquimans County, NC
Studio $790 · 1BR $795 · 3BR $1,440 · 4BR $1,539
Polk County, NC
Studio $757 · 1BR $885 · 3BR $1,401 · 4BR $1,692
Richmond County, NC
Studio $757 · 1BR $786 · 3BR $1,352 · 4BR $1,531
Robeson County, NC
Studio $807 · 1BR $813 · 3BR $1,292 · 4BR $1,515
Rutherford County, NC
Studio $861 · 1BR $866 · 3BR $1,354 · 4BR $1,374
Sampson County, NC
Studio $761 · 1BR $842 · 3BR $1,206 · 4BR $1,398
Scotland County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,324 · 4BR $1,330
Stanly County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,388 · 4BR $1,447
Surry County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,206 · 4BR $1,370
Swain County, NC
Studio $892 · 1BR $906 · 3BR $1,292 · 4BR $1,531
Transylvania County, NC
Studio $1,111 · 1BR $1,118 · 3BR $1,781 · 4BR $2,097
Tyrrell County, NC
Studio $811 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,401 · 4BR $1,531
Vance County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,261 · 4BR $1,333
Warren County, NC
Studio $769 · 1BR $774 · 3BR $1,260 · 4BR $1,378
Washington County, NC
Studio $811 · 1BR $817 · 3BR $1,401 · 4BR $1,691
Watauga County, NC
Studio $916 · 1BR $1,124 · 3BR $1,737 · 4BR $2,191
Wilkes County, NC
Studio $864 · 1BR $875 · 3BR $1,357 · 4BR $1,554
Wilson County, NC
Studio $843 · 1BR $849 · 3BR $1,356 · 4BR $1,658
Yancey County, NC
Studio $797 · 1BR $803 · 3BR $1,352 · 4BR $1,380
Big number = 2-bedroom FMR. HUD sets a floor: no 2-bedroom FMR may be below the lower of the state’s or the national non-metro median ($1,014 for FY2027).
Rent affordability check
Income needed at the North Carolina average
Studio
$1,215/mo rent + utilities
$48,600/yr
$23.37/hr full-time
1 bedroom
$1,282/mo rent + utilities
$51,280/yr
$24.65/hr full-time
2 bedrooms
$1,441/mo rent + utilities
$57,640/yr
$27.71/hr full-time
3 bedrooms
$1,823/mo rent + utilities
$72,920/yr
$35.06/hr full-time
4 bedrooms
$2,256/mo rent + utilities
$90,240/yr
$43.38/hr full-time
Gross yearly income so that rent plus utilities is 30% of income; hourly = yearly ÷ 2,080 hours.
What a Fair Market Rent is (and is not)
A Fair Market Rent (FMR) is set every year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is HUD’s estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent — rent plus utilities (except phone, cable and internet) — paid by recent movers into standard-quality, non-luxury rental homes in an area. In other words, about 40% of recently rented units in the area cost less than the FMR and about 60% cost more.
FMRs are not asking rents and not the price of any specific listing. They are built from Census Bureau American Community Survey rents and updated with inflation and trend factors, so they lag the newest listings and smooth out neighborhood differences. HUD uses them to set Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) payment standards and other program rents. Treat them as a solid, official benchmark for a typical modest rental — new listings in popular neighborhoods often cost more.
Questions & answers
What is the average rent in North Carolina?
Using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents, the population-weighted average for a 2-bedroom in North Carolina is $1,441 a month including utilities — 18% below the U.S. average of $1,761. A 1-bedroom averages $1,282 and a studio $1,215.
Where is rent cheapest in North Carolina?
The lowest FY2027 2-bedroom FMR in North Carolina is $1,012 in Ashe County, NC; the highest is $1,866 in Asheville, NC.
How much do I need to earn to rent in North Carolina?
At the 30% rule, a 2-bedroom at the state-average FMR of $1,441 needs $57,640 a year in gross income (about $27.71 an hour full-time). A 1-bedroom at $1,282 needs $51,280.
Did rent go up in North Carolina this year?
The population-weighted 2-bedroom FMR in North Carolina changed +3.5% from FY2026 to FY2027, compared with +1.5% for the U.S.
Is the Fair Market Rent what landlords charge?
Not exactly. It is HUD’s 40th-percentile estimate of rent plus utilities paid by recent movers into standard-quality units — a benchmark for a modest rental. Many listings, especially new or central ones, ask more.
Source: HUD User, FY2027 Fair Market Rents (effective October 1, 2026; Federal Register notice), compared with FY2026 revised FMRs. HUD data is in the public domain. State and U.S. averages are Tachlis calculations weighted by each county’s population as listed in HUD’s file. HUD may revise FMRs for areas that request a reevaluation.
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