Is Little Rock cheaper than Winston-Salem?

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

Which has higher household income, Little Rock or Winston-Salem?

Little Rock has the higher median household income — $68,344 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Little Rock or Winston-Salem?

A paycheck stretches further in Little Rock. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,478 there versus $71,600 in Winston-Salem.

Which has cheaper rent, Little Rock or Winston-Salem?

Rents are close — $1,093/mo in the Little Rock metro versus $1,102/mo in Winston-Salem (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Little Rock vs Winston-Salem

Metro-area medians — Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area vs Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Little Rock comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Little Rock and Winston-Salem cost about the same to live in, but Little Rock households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Little Rock.

Their widest everyday difference: Winston-Salem has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 50 versus 55.

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

Little Rock, AR

$58,568

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$65,539

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, Little Rock leaves you about $1,799/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

Little Rock

Winston-Salem

Livability (CityLedger)

51/100

46/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

89.4

92.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$76,478

$71,600

Median household income

$68,344

$65,903

Median rent

$1,093/mo

$1,102/mo

Median home value

$237,300

$270,700

Unemployment

3.3%

3.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

35%

33.4%

Average commute

23.2 min

23.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

62°F

60°F

Choose Little Rock for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Little Rock profile →

Choose Winston-Salem for

+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Winston-Salem profile →

More comparisons

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

Little Rock vs Tulsa→Little Rock vs Jackson→Little Rock vs Springfield→Winston-Salem vs Greensboro→Winston-Salem vs Akron→Winston-Salem vs Dayton→

Little Rock vs Winston-Salem — frequently asked

Is Little Rock cheaper than Winston-Salem?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Little Rock and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Little Rock or Winston-Salem?: Little Rock has the higher median household income — $68,344 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Little Rock or Winston-Salem?: A paycheck stretches further in Little Rock. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $76,478 there versus $71,600 in Winston-Salem.
Which has cheaper rent, Little Rock or Winston-Salem?: Rents are close — $1,093/mo in the Little Rock metro versus $1,102/mo in Winston-Salem (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).