A free resource by NextGen Coastal — monthly OC rental market intelligence
State data • Updated March 2026

North Carolina rent: top & bottom cities

Median ZORI rent across North Carolina cities, statewide macro overlay, plus the most-expensive and most-affordable cities side by side. Live from the NGP-Rental-Data warehouse.

North Carolina at a glance

$1,676Median city rent (ZORI)
3.8%Unemployment
6,038Permits / month
20Cities w/ rent data

Unemployment from FRED state series. Permits from Census BPS. Median = median across all North Carolina cities with current ZORI data. See methodology.

Most expensive & most affordable

Top 10 by rent

CityRent (ZORI)YoY
Mills River $2,825
Harrisburg $2,460 +8.1%
Carolina Beach $2,292
Fletcher $2,283
Waxhaw $2,275 +1.0%
Brevard $2,217
Vass $2,111
Navassa $2,103
Mint Hill $2,095 +5.9%
Oak Island $2,088

Top 10 most affordable (pop ≥ 50k)

CityRent (ZORI)YoY
Rocky Mount $1,314 +0.5%
Jacksonville $1,341 +3.9%
Greenville $1,344 +5.3%
Burlington $1,364 +1.8%
Greensboro $1,408 +3.1%
Fayetteville $1,418 +2.5%
High Point $1,460 +2.8%
Winston-Salem $1,465 +4.3%
Gastonia $1,465 +2.7%
Raleigh $1,568 +0.2%

Top 5 cities — overlaid rent trajectory

ZORI rent index — top 5 North Carolina cities

Monthly Zillow ZORI rent index. Data updates monthly. Source: methodology.

Compare cities in North Carolina

Pick any 2-4 cities for a side-by-side view:

Mills River vs Harrisburg vs Carolina Beach · Pick your own →