2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Winston-Salem, NC vs Fairfax, VA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Fairfax or is it cheaper to live in Winston-Salem?
- Fairfax is 68.9% more expensive than Winston-Salem.

Which city has more affordable housing, Fairfax or Winston-Salem?
- Fairfax housing costs are 258.1% more expensive than Winston-Salem housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Winston-Salem or is Health Care more affordable in Fairfax.
- Health related expenses are 6.5% more in Fairfax.
 Winston-Salem, NCFairfax, VAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock142.4100
 Food & Groceries95.2  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock102.7100
 Housing62.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$654,200$338,100
 Utilities97  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock127.6100
 Miscellaneous109.1  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Winston-Salem    26 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

Winston Salem is a corrupt and sad city. Many residents aren't open to new comers and crime is rampant. The abysmal crime rate is due in part to the corrupt and  More

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Over 5 years ago

I’ve lived here since 2008 and the community is beautiful and quiet. Convenient to everything and if you’re not a lazy person you can walk to Walmart, the bank,  More

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I didn't fully appreciate WS until I left. I still have family and friends there, and when I visit (I've lived in various places, now in the midwest for about 20 years)  More

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Reviews for Fairfax    28 Reviews

I lived in the area for 17 years through high school until I eventually became a truck driver. Having now seen most states extensively, I wanted to fairly review what  More

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Living in Fairfax, or any of the Northern Virginia suburbs of DC, means dealing with highways that are a Gordian knot of converging lanes and overpasses, making long  More

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Over 10 years ago

The Cost of living here is high. Though the standard of living is also high, unless you're making over 50,000/year, it's difficult to both live and build any sort of  More

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