Housing and tax tradeoff: Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina comes out ahead here on rent and home price. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
Demand-Backed Comparison
Compare Durham vs Fairfax on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
People have logged this comparison 2 times on WhyThere. The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
DurhamFairfax
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on climate comfort, weaker on safety.
Comparison Matrix
| City | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | ||
| General Info | ||
| Population | 257,636 | 24,242 |
| Center Elevation | 404 ft(123 m) | 430 ft(131 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | ||
| Median Home | $389,648 | $765,557 |
| Median Rent | $1,615 | $2,310 |
| Median Income | $74,710 | $128,708 |
| Rent Burden | 26% | 22% |
| Climate & Risks | ||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 305 days/yr | 296 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 72°F | 67°F |
| Avg. Low | 52°F | 49°F |
| Comfort Score | 77/100Great | 66/100Good |
| Temp Swing | 39°F | 44°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 49"(124 cm) | 51"(130 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 3"(8 cm) | 10"(25 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 25 days > 100 | Typical: 482024 modeled avg · 42 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | ||
| Walkability | 30 | 54 |
| Transit Score | 28 | 38 |
| Safety Score | 58 / 100 | 83 / 100 |
| School Rating | 5.9/10 | 9.1/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 60%Cable: 94% | Fiber: 94%Cable: 99% |
| Demographics | ||
| Median Age | 34.7 years | 37.5 years |
| College Educated | 54% | 60% |
| Remote Workers | 18% | 20% |
| Nature Access | ||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | ||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Durham. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Fairfax. One featured slot per city |
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