A bird's eye view of North Carolina.

Living In North Carolina — Get To Know The Costs

From the Appalachian mountains in the west to the barrier islands in the east, North Carolina has no shortage of beauty — especially here in the Denver area. Because of this, there are plenty of people that have recently moved here or are considering moving here in the near future. But what does it cost to live in our beautiful state?

In today’s blog post, the Riverwalk Apartment Homes, your local source of apartments for rent in Denver, NC, will be discussing a few of the factors that influence the cost of living in North Carolina as well as how our costs stack up next to the national average.

First Things First — Let’s Talk About Rent

As a community of apartments in Denver, it should be no surprise that we have a stake in the cost of living. In order to create a well-balanced community, we adjust rent costs to reflect not only what you are getting as a resident, but also to meet or challenge state and national rent averages.

Lucky for you, the rent in North Carolina as a whole is lower than the national average — and the rent at the Riverwalk Apartment Homes is even less than that. In North Carolina, rent is on average around $100 to $300 cheaper than the national average — with costs differing between studio apartments, one bedroom apartments, two bedroom apartments, and three bedroom apartments.

At the Riverwalk Apartment Homes, we do our best to make our rent affordable. Because of this, we have a number of different apartment styles at different price points. Check out our website today to see floorplans, price points, and availability for the Riverwalk and the Riverwalk2.

Food

When it comes to discussing the cost of food, the conversation is rather subjective. Sure, some people can spend less than the state average and others will spend much more, but the following information is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Thrifty Food Plan” — a plan that is built on the framework that assumes groceries are shopped for in bulk and all meals are cooked at home.

According to the North Carolina Justice Center’s study on North Carolina living wages, a single parent with one child can at a minimum get away with spending $236.70 a month on food. As you might expect, that number goes up when more people are included during standard meals, with a family of four spending upwards of $594.60 per month on food.

While there are some people that spend less and others that spend more, we would be willing to bet that a majority of people and families in North Carolina spend more than the numbers listed above — because it is rare for people to buy groceries in bulk and never eat out during any given month.

Transportation

Much like food, transportation costs are extremely subjective. Some people drive 50 miles to work and back every day while others ride their bikes 15 minutes to work. That being said, there are a couple of things that remain constant — gas prices and travel time.

Gas prices fluctuate, but we can tell you that as of this very second (03/12/19) gas prices in Denver, NC are around $2.35 per gallon — lower than the national average that is currently hanging around $2.50 per gallon.

In addition to gas prices, travel time also varies greatly — but in this case, it is more so influenced by the travel needs of each individual. While some people travel close and others travel far, the U.S. Census Bureau has found that the average travel time for North Carolina residents is 23.6 minutes — 1.9 minutes shorter than the national average.

Healthcare

In the state of North Carolina, the costs of healthcare are relatively similar to the national average. In North Carolina, the average cost of one inpatient day in the hospital is around $2,000 dollars before insurance is applied. For individuals in North Carolina, the average annual premium that is paid before the employer contribution is roughly $1,189.

Join Our North Carolina Community Today!

Are you looking to move to Denver, North Carolina? If so, we strongly urge you to consider coming to check out our apartments near Lake Norman. The Riverwalk and Riverwalk2 are separate apartment communities that both have a number of apartments that are ready to rent today.

Are you looking for a one bedroom apartment, two bedroom apartment, or three bedroom apartment? We have them! All of our Denver, NC apartments are of the highest quality and have access to various community amenities like our pool, gym, business center and more!

We hope that today’s blog provided you with information regarding the cost of living here in Denver, NC and how it might compare to the cost of living nationally. If you have any questions about the cost of living in our community, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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