Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapel Hill, NC and Cincinnati, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Cincinnati, OH: $2,323 a month against $2,762 in Chapel Hill, NC, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Chapel Hill, NC
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Chapel Hill, NC Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Cincinnati, OH
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Cincinnati, OH Living Index

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Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,762

/mo nomad

Cincinnati, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chapel Hill, NC and in Cincinnati, OH

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chapel Hill, NC and in Cincinnati, OH actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $2,323 in Cincinnati, OH.

Chapel Hill, NC $2,762
Cincinnati, OH $2,323

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,394 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $3,448 in Cincinnati, OH.

Chapel Hill, NC $4,394
Cincinnati, OH $3,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,026 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $4,573 in Cincinnati, OH.

Chapel Hill, NC $6,026
Cincinnati, OH $4,573

Living in Chapel Hill, NC is roughly 19% more expensive than in Cincinnati, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chapel Hill, NC 105% above, Cincinnati, OH 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$15.17 $15.17

20.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 $89.6

$51.0 $51.0

75.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$9.90 $9.90

1.82%

Cappuccino

$4.88 $4.88

$5.00 $5.00

-2.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.30 $2.30

25.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.65 $1.65

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$5.39 $5.39

12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$7.52 $7.52

-9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.93 $0.93

20.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.35 $3.35

42.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.50 $9.50

$3.98 $3.98

138.69%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$4.22 $4.22

25.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 $17.88

$12.72 $12.72

40.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.82 $13.82

$11.24 $11.24

22.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.57 $27.57

$15.99 $15.99

72.42%

Apples (1kg)

$8.11 $8.11

$5.82 $5.82

39.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 $1.58

12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$4.23 $4.23

59.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.68 $4.68

30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.54 $2.54

89.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.25 $3.25

20.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.02 $2.02

31.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.91 $1.91

2.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 $7.91

$10.55 $10.55

-25.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$15.26 $15.26

-1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.12 $2.12

-24.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.94 $2.94

37.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$3.70 $3.70

-46.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.22 $1.22

92.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.83 $14.83

$25.26 $25.26

-41.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.10 $1.10

-10.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.5K $35.5K

$35.6K $35.6K

-0.34%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.4K $24.4K

$25.1K $25.1K

-2.95%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 $223

$151 $151

47.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.0 $52.0

$76.1 $76.1

-31.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$72.6 $72.6

-1.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.1 $79.1

$35.88 $35.88

120.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.95 $13.95

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 $13.55

$15.10 $15.10

-10.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,414 $1,414

$1,465 $1,465

-3.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,917 $9,917

$19.4K $19.4K

-48.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.73 $38.73

$45.76 $45.76

-15.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.35 $31.35

$44.95 $44.95

-30.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$86.0 $86.0

18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$110 $110

25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 $1,741

$1,521 $1,521

14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 $1,323

$1,045 $1,045

26.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 $2,816

$3,272 $3,272

-13.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,786 $2,786

$1,821 $1,821

53.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,755 $2,755

$3,403 $3,403

-19.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,717 $2,717

$2,074 $2,074

30.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,375 $5,375

$4,137 $4,137

29.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

6.59

1.37%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chapel Hill, NC: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cincinnati, OH: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chapel Hill, NC

$1.3K 47.9%

Cincinnati, OH

$1K 45% 21% $278

Groceries & Markets

Chapel Hill, NC

$535 19.4%

Cincinnati, OH

$389 16.8% 27.3% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapel Hill, NC

$347 12.6%

Cincinnati, OH

$300 12.9% 13.5% $47

Eating Out

Chapel Hill, NC

$298 10.8%

Cincinnati, OH

$269 11.6% 9.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chapel Hill, NC

$139 5.1%

Cincinnati, OH

$129 5.6% 7.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chapel Hill, NC

$106 3.8%

Cincinnati, OH

$66 2.8% 37.8% $40

Getting Around

Chapel Hill, NC

$14 * 0.5%

Cincinnati, OH

$125 5.4% 812% $111

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,741 in Chapel Hill, NC and $1,521 in Cincinnati, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chapel Hill, NC pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Chapel Hill, NC vs $51.0 in Cincinnati, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $535 vs $389 per month, with Cincinnati, OH cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇸 Cincinnati, OH

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

Same time as Chapel Hill, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,960

298,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chapel Hill, NC Cincinnati, OH 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chapel Hill, NC
Cincinnati, OH

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chapel Hill, NC vs Cincinnati, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cincinnati, OH wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Chapel Hill, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cincinnati, OH the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Chapel Hill, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,741 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $1,521 in Cincinnati, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Chapel Hill, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,762 per month in Chapel Hill, NC versus $2,323 in Cincinnati, OH – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Cincinnati, OH is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cincinnati, OH gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Chapel Hill, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.