Is Augusta cheaper than Winston-Salem?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Augusta and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Augusta or Winston-Salem?

Augusta has the higher median household income — $72,176 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Augusta or Winston-Salem?

A paycheck stretches further in Augusta. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,535 there versus $71,600 in Winston-Salem.

Which has cheaper rent, Augusta or Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,243/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Augusta vs Winston-Salem

Metro-area medians — Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area vs Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Winston-Salem comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Augusta and Winston-Salem cost about the same to live in, but Augusta households earn about 10% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Augusta.

Their widest everyday difference: Winston-Salem has the tighter job market — 3.4% unemployment versus 6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Augusta, GA

$58,044

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$63,158

real value after local prices

Winston-Salem, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,740

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Winston-Salem leaves you about $582/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Augusta

Winston-Salem

Livability (CityLedger)

40/100

46/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

91.9

92.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,535

$71,600

Median household income

$72,176

$65,903

Median rent

$1,243/mo

$1,102/mo

Median home value

$262,100

$270,700

Unemployment

3.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

29.8%

33.4%

Average commute

25.2 min

23.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

67°F

60°F

Choose Augusta for

+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value

Full Augusta profile →

Choose Winston-Salem for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Winston-Salem profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Augusta and Winston-Salem on cost, income, size, and education.

Augusta vs Chattanooga→Augusta vs Greensboro→Augusta vs Knoxville→Winston-Salem vs Greensboro→Winston-Salem vs Akron→Winston-Salem vs Dayton→

Augusta vs Winston-Salem — frequently asked

Is Augusta cheaper than Winston-Salem?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Augusta and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Augusta or Winston-Salem?: Augusta has the higher median household income — $72,176 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 10% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Augusta or Winston-Salem?: A paycheck stretches further in Augusta. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,535 there versus $71,600 in Winston-Salem.
Which has cheaper rent, Augusta or Winston-Salem?: Winston-Salem has cheaper rent — a median of $1,102/mo versus $1,243/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).