Is Barnstable Town cheaper than Wilmington?

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

Which has higher household income, Barnstable Town or Wilmington?

Barnstable Town has the higher median household income — $87,925 versus $78,890 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Barnstable Town or Wilmington?

A paycheck stretches further in Barnstable Town. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,399 there versus $81,817 in Wilmington.

Which has cheaper rent, Barnstable Town or Wilmington?

Rents are close — $1,577/mo in the Barnstable Town metro versus $1,578/mo in Wilmington (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Barnstable Town vs Wilmington

Metro-area medians — Barnstable Town, MA Metro Area vs Wilmington, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Barnstable Town comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Barnstable Town and Wilmington cost about the same to live in, but Barnstable Town households earn about 11% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Barnstable Town.

Their widest everyday difference: Wilmington has the tighter job market — 2.5% unemployment versus 5.5%.

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

Barnstable Town, MA

$57,564

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$58,529

real value after local prices

Wilmington, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$60,845

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Wilmington leaves you about $2,316/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

Barnstable Town

Wilmington

Livability (CityLedger)

70/100

65/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

98.4

96.4

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,399

$81,817

Median household income

$87,925

$78,890

Median rent

$1,577/mo

$1,578/mo

Median home value

$692,900

$397,300

Unemployment

5.5%

2.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

50.5%

41.3%

Average commute

24.8 min

23.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

52°F

64°F

Choose Barnstable Town for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Barnstable Town profile →

Choose Wilmington for

+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Wilmington profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Barnstable Town and Wilmington on cost, income, size, and education.

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Barnstable Town vs Wilmington — frequently asked

Is Barnstable Town cheaper than Wilmington?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Barnstable Town and Wilmington metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Barnstable Town or Wilmington?: Barnstable Town has the higher median household income — $87,925 versus $78,890 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 11% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Barnstable Town or Wilmington?: A paycheck stretches further in Barnstable Town. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $89,399 there versus $81,817 in Wilmington.
Which has cheaper rent, Barnstable Town or Wilmington?: Rents are close — $1,577/mo in the Barnstable Town metro versus $1,578/mo in Wilmington (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).