Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Greensboro
You think about moving to Greensboro but want to get additional information about the city and overall quality of life before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Greensboro in the following chapters.
Living in Greensboro – Overview
Climate | Greensboro has a subtropical climate with warm summers and relatively mild winters. |
Housing | Demand for housing, property prices and rents in Greensboro are lower than in many other big metropolitan areas. |
Income | People in Greensboro make significantly less compared to national average. |
Crime | Crime rates in Greenboro are higher than national average. |
Education | While you will find some solid schools, it is still hard to find world-class education in the Greensboro region. |
Job Market | Unemployment rate in Greensboro is about national average and while highly-qualified people often find decent jobs, the average person often struggles to make a living in the Greensboro region. |
Culture | Many different cultural influences in Greensboro and you can also meet many interesting people from all over the world. |
Leisure Activities | Fishing, swimming, camping and hiking are just some of the things you can do in and around Greensboro. |
Landscape | Greensboro is close to many forests, lakes and rivers and you can therefore spend lots of time in nature. |
Infrastructure | While you will find good doctors and hospitals and supply of material goods is decent, public transport is still rather poor in the Greensboro region. |
Level of Tolerance | Greensboro is one of the most tolerant cities in North Carolina. |
Nightlife | Nightlife in Greensboro is not as great as in other major cities. |
Population | 298,142 inhabitants. |

Advantages of Living in Greensboro
- Living costs in Greensboro are rather low
- Property prices and rents are still affordable
- Overall financial pressure is lower than in other major regions
- Pretty easy to find a decent place to stay in Greensboro
- Many nature activities to choose from in Greensboro
- People are welcome from all over the world
- Easy to socialize in Greensboro
- Greensboro is a decent city for cyclists
- Easy to get around by car
- Greensboro is a rather relaxed city
- Decent supply of material goods in Greensboro
- Good medical infrastructure in Greensboro
- Greensboro has decent tap water
- Air quality in Greensboro is decent
- Population has been growing significantly over the past decade
- Decent future outlook for Greensboro
- Greensboro has an international airport
Living costs in Greensboro are rather low
One advantage of moving to Greensboro is that living costs are rather low in this region and you will therefore have to spend far less money on drinks and other expenses of daily life compared to people living in New York City or other more expensive regions.
Property prices and rents are still affordable
You should also know that property prices and rents are still fairly cheap in this region and if you want to buy a home, you don’t have to spend as much money on paying down your mortgage as people in more expensive regions.
Overall financial pressure is lower than in other major regions
Since living and housing costs in Greensboro are rather low, your overall financial pressure will also be lower compared to people living in San José or other more expensive regions where people have to make lots of money just to be able to pay for basic expenses.
Pretty easy to find a decent place to stay in Greensboro
Since demand for housing in the Greensboro region is rather low, chances are that you will also find a decent place to stay rather soon and don’t have to search for many months as people moving to more popular regions often have to do.
Many nature activities to choose from in Greensboro
Since Greensboro is surrounded by nice lakes and forests, you can go fishing, hunting, camping and do many other things in nature and you can therefore have a great time with your family and also relax and reload your batteries at the same time.
People are welcome from all over the world
Greensboro is a pretty tolerant place where people are welcome from all over the world and your background therefore doesn’t really matter as long as you are friendly and tolerant yourself and also know how to behave.
Easy to socialize in Greensboro
Since people in Greensboro are friendly and tolerant, you will also have an easy time making new friends and chances are that you will never get socially isolated in this region as long as you are willing to adapt to local customs and traditions at least a little bit.
Greensboro is a decent city for cyclists
Another upside to moving to Greensboro is that it can also be a great city for cyclists since it is pretty easy to get around by bike and there are also many bike lanes.
Thus, as long as you live close to the city center where distances are rather short, you may be able to get around by bicycle and you may not even need a car which can save you lots of money and you can also do good for our environment at the same time.
Easy to get around by car
If you don’t want to use your bicycle, you are still able to get around by car in a pretty efficient manner in the Greensboro region since traffic is not a big problem yet and your risk of getting stuck in traffic jams will be pretty low.
Greensboro is a rather relaxed city
Compared to NYC or L.A. where people are often in a rush, Greensboro is also a rather relaxed city where people will not focus on their careers as much as in other big metropolitan areas and this can be great since people take more time to socialize and can therefore have many interesting conversations on various occasions of daily life.
Decent supply of material goods in Greensboro
Another benefit of moving to Greensboro is that overall supply of material goods will be pretty decent and you will find most things you need for daily life within walking distance to your home so that you can live your life in a pretty efficient manner and don’t have to waste your precious time.
Good medical infrastructure in Greensboro
Also overall medical infrastructure is pretty decent in the Greensboro region and you will find many decent doctors and hospitals.
Hence, in case you get sick, you will get good medical treatment and can recover as quickly as possible.
Greensboro has decent tap water
Another upside to living in Greensboro is that the region also has pretty decent tap water and you therefore don’t have to rely on bottled water from the store and can save lots of time and money in this regard in the long run.
Air quality in Greensboro is decent
Compared to many other major cities, Greensboro also has pretty decent air quality and this can give you an incentive to spend lots of time outdoors which can also help you stay fit in the long run.
Population has been growing significantly over the past decade
You should also know that population in the Greensboro region has been growing significantly over the past decade and this is usually a sign that a region becomes increasingly popular and many new people may also move to Greensboro in the future which would make this place even more interesting.
Decent future outlook for Greensboro
Another benefit of living in Greensboro is that it is one of the biggest cities in North Carolina and will therefore most likely be an important place to work and live for many decades and you don’t have to worry about too many people leaving this region anytime soon.
Greensboro has an international airport
Since the Greensboro region has an international airport, you can also get to many foreign countries in a pretty efficient manner without having to deal with layovers and this can be great in case you are a globetrotter and want to travel the world on a regular basis.
Now that you know the reasons for moving to Greensboro, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in Greensboro so you can better decide whether you still want to move to Greensboro or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Greensboro
- Crime rates in Greensboro are above national average
- Not many great sports teams in Greensboro
- Greensboro doesn’t have a great art scene
- Greensboro is not the most exciting city
- People in Greensboro make pretty poor money on average
- Many people in Greensboro live below the poverty line
- Public transport is pretty poor outside the city center
- Not many great shopping opportunities in Greensboro
- Nightlife in Greensboro is not great
- Hard to find really good education in Greensboro
- Many dodgy neighborhoods in Greensboro
- You may miss the feeling of big city life
- Your friends may not understand your decision of moving to Greensboro
Crime rates in Greensboro are above national average
One problem with living in Greensboro is that crime rates are pretty high in this region and many people just no longer feel safe anymore and consider leaving the city.
Not many great sports teams in Greensboro
You should also not expect to find many great sports teams in the Greensboro region and if you want to watch many games in person at the highest level, you may be better off moving to Chicago or other cities where sports play a much bigger role.
Greensboro doesn’t have a great art scene
While Greensboro has a lot to offer, you will still not find a great art scene and the number of fancy museums will also be rather limited.
Greensboro is not the most exciting city
In general, Greensboro is also not the most exciting city and if you need the glamor and want to have action 24/7, you may be far better off moving to Las Vegas or other major metropolitan regions instead.
People in Greensboro make pretty poor money on average
Another downside to moving to Greensboro is that the median household income is pretty low and you will therefore have a pretty hard time making really good money in this region and moving to Greensboro therefore doesn’t make sense if you want to get rich as quickly as possible.
Many people in Greensboro live below the poverty line
You should also know that many people in Greensboro live below the poverty line and this is not only not a nice picture at all but may also lead to all sorts of social problems and may also increase crime rather even further in the future.
Public transport is pretty poor outside the city center
Another disadvantage of living in Greensboro is that public transport is pretty poor in the suburbs and outskirts of Greensboro and unless you live close enough to the city, chances are that you will not be able to use public transport in an efficient manner and may have to use your car to be on time for important appointments.
Not many great shopping opportunities in Greensboro
If you are a shopping victim, you may also get pretty disappointed with your life in Greensboro since there are just not as many fancy boutiques as you may be used to from other big cities.
Nightlife in Greensboro is not great
You should also know that nightlife in Greensboro is also not great and while you will have some solid bars to hang out with your favorite people after work, you may miss real party locations and may get pretty annoyed in this regard in the long run.
Hard to find really good education in Greensboro
Another downside to living in Greensboro is that you will also have a hard time finding really good education in this region compared to people moving to Boston or other more popular regions where you will have many world-class institutions.
Many dodgy neighborhoods in Greensboro
You will also have many rather dodgy neighborhoods in the Greensboro region and if you are not careful, you may buy a home in a dodgy neighborhood and may get into all sorts of problems.
You may miss the feeling of big city life
In general, you may also just miss the feeling of big city life you may be used to from other big cities and may not get happy with living in Greensboro in the long run.
Your friends may not understand your decision of moving to Greensboro
Since Greensboro is not the most popular city, your loved ones may also not understand your decision of moving to Greensboro and you may have to spend lots of time convincing them that this might be a good idea.

Top 10 Moving To Greensboro Pros & Cons – Summary List
Living in Greensboro Pros | Living in Greensboro Cons |
---|---|
Property prices in Greensboro are rather low | Median household income is pretty low in Greensboro |
Rents are still affordable | Many people live below the poverty line |
Rather easy to find a decent place to stay | Not many great sports teams in Greensboro |
Living costs in Greensboro are rather low | Greensboro doesn’t have a great art scene |
Many nice things to do in nature | Poor public transport in the suburbs |
Decent supply of material goods in Greensboro | Greensboro is not the most exciting city |
Greensboro is a bicycle-friendly town | You may miss the feeling of big city life |
Easy to get around by car in Greensboro | Many dodgy neighborhoods in Greensboro |
Decent air quality in Greensboro | Greensboro is not located at the coast |
Greensboro is a tolerant city | Greensboro is not popular among tourists |
Is Greensboro A Good Place To Live?
While moving to Greensboro can make sense since living and housing costs are low while you can still enjoy decent public infrastructure, you should also know that many people don’t make good money and also get bored in the Greensboro region in the long run since it is not the most exciting city.
Alternative Cities To Live In
If you don’t want to move to Greensboro anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Orlando
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Pittsburgh
Advantages and disadvantages of living in St. Louis
Sources
https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/greensborocitynorthcarolina
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.