Cost Of Living in Bethlehem, NC

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Bethlehem	North Carolina	National
Cost of living	100	94	100
Goods & Services	91	98	100
Groceries	97	98	100
Health care	95	108	100
Housing	110	85	100
Transportation	101	92	100
Utilities	101	94	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Bethlehem is 6% higher than the North Carolina average
The cost of living in Bethlehem is equal to the national average
Bethlehem housing is 10% higher than the national average
North Carolina general sales tax is 7% lower than the national average
North Carolina state income tax is 83% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$77,539	$6,462	$1,809	$2,326
Renters	$60,245	$5,020	$1,406	$1,808

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Bethlehem, NC, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Bethlehem have a median income of $77,539. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,809 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $60,245, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,406.

North Carolina Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
North Carolina	4.75%	7.5%

North Carolina Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
North Carolina	4.75%	4.75%

Goods & Services

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$30.02	$24.26	23.7%
Beauty Salon	$39.60	$45.56	13.1%
Toothpaste	$3.75	$3.70	1.3%
Shampoo	$1.34	$1.28	4.6%
Movie	$13.67	$12.13	12.6%
Bowling	$18.63	$18.00	3.5%

Groceries

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.12	$5.84	4.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.55	$1.57	1.5%
Milk	$4.66	$4.67	0.3%
Potatoes	$5.30	$4.93	7.3%
Pizza	$11.64	$12.09	3.7%
Beer	$10.31	$10.41	0.9%

Health Care

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$131.75	$125.68	4.8%
Doctor	$157.27	$135.78	15.8%
Dentist	$130.26	$113.29	15.0%
Ibuprofen	$10.78	$10.65	1.2%
Lipitor	$483.22	$468.60	3.1%

Housing

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$225,300.00	$184,700.00	22.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,004.78	$2,346.69	14.6%
Apartment Rent	$765.00	$949.00	19.4%

Transportation

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.19	$3.46	7.7%
Tire Balancing	$57.92	$59.92	3.3%

Utilities

Item	Bethlehem	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$160.96	$193.99	17.0%
Phone	$187.97	$192.25	2.2%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Brookford, NC	474	84	16.3%
Rhodhiss, NC	993	86	14.1%
Icard, NC	2,119	88	12.4%
Long View, NC	4,898	88	12.4%
Connelly Springs, NC	2,272	88	12.0%
Bethlehem, NC	3,959	100	0.5%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Freedom, CA	3,959	148	48.2%
Plains, PA	3,958	89	11.1%
White City, SK	3,960	n/a
Lake San Marcos, CA	3,957	170	70.2%
Southgate, KY	3,957	97	3.3%
Bethlehem, NC	3,959	100	0.5%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Bethlehem, NC