State comparison
New York vs North Carolina: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $5,500 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 6 categories
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: New York vs North Carolina
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,862 a year. North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 a year. North Carolina wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 0.70% in North Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $2,345, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York and 7.00% in North Carolina; North Carolina is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $12,349 a year in New York, $6,887 in North Carolina. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and North Carolina's is 94, where 100 is the national average; North Carolina is about 48% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $335K in North Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $135K gap in North Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,450 in North Carolina.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $1,900 in North Carolina, so New York is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 398 in North Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New York is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 5% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 2,226 in North Carolina, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 75.7 in North Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.6-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and North Carolina's 23rd, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 11.8% in North Carolina, which favors New York. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and North Carolina's 29th, 17 places apart in New York's favor. North Carolina runs a school-choice voucher program; New York does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points.
New York has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so New York regulates guns more tightly and North Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and legal with limits in North Carolina, and marijuana is legal for adults in New York and illegal in North Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $7.25 in North Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so New York is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York and 36 in North Carolina (under 50 is good), favoring North Carolina.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
New York
9
North Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York or North Carolina better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $12,349); North Carolina on everyday costs (index 94 against 139); New York on safety (379 violent crimes per 100,000 against 398); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 29th).
Which is cheaper, New York or North Carolina?
North Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 94 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $335K in North Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $5,500 a year.
Does New York or North Carolina have lower taxes?
North Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,349 a year in New York ($3,862 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 in sales tax) and $6,887 in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New York or North Carolina?
New York, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 398 in North Carolina; property crime is 1,480 against 2,226.
Which has better schools, New York or North Carolina?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and North Carolina 29th. North Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New York or North Carolina better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; North Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $2,345 in North Carolina.