Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to North Carolina

You think about moving to North Carolina but want to get additional information about overall quality of life, housing situation, living costs, safety, public infrastructure, climate, job market, income level and much more before finally deciding whether you still want to move to North Carolina or rather to a different state?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in North Carolina in the following chapters.

Living in North Carolina – Overview

Advantages of Living in North Carolina

1. Housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of North Carolina
2. Rents in North Carolina are still affordable for the general public
3. Property prices in NC are fairly low
4. Many people don’t have to overextend themselves for buying a home in NC
5. Easy to find a decent place to stay after moving to North Carolina rather quickly
6. Living costs in North Carolina are fairly low
7. Low overall financial pressure for many people moving to North Carolina
8. You don’t have to make a fortune to afford a decent lifestyle in NC
9. It’s not all about the money in North Carolina
10. People are often less career-focused in NC than in many other states
11. You can enjoy beautiful nature in North Carolina
12. Many things to do outdoors in North Carolina
13. You can exercise in a natural manner
14. Decent air quality in many parts of North Carolina
15. Many big cities in North Carolina
16. Decent mix of big city life and nature activities
17. You find many recreational spaces in the big cities
18. Warm summers and mild winters are attractive to many people in NC
19. North Carolina is located at the coast
20. NC is a pretty tolerant state
21. You can meet many helpful people in North Carolina
22. Many opportunities to socialize in North Carolina
23. You can have many interesting conversations in NC
24. You can learn about different lifestyles in the big cities of North Carolina
25. North Carlina may be an interesting place to live self-sufficient
26. You can experience many different cultural influences in North Carolina
27. Many great foods to try in North Carolina
28. North Carolina is not the most hectic state
29. Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of North Carolina
30. You find most things you need close to your home in NC
31. Decent schools and colleges in the big cities of North Carolina
32. Decent medical infrastructure in the biggest cities
33. Solid public transport in the big metropolitan regions of NC
34. Most people in NC have solid internet connection
35. North Carolina is a rather pet-friendly state
36. Your city will likely not get flooded by tourists
37. North Carolina may be an attractive place to retire
38. North Carolina may be a good place for students
39. You find decent art scenes in the big cities of North Carolina
40. Decent sports teams in North Carolina
41. You can make many nice day trips in North Carolina
42. North Carolina may be an interesting place for property investors
43. North Carolina may still be underrated

Housing shortage is not a big deal in most parts of North Carolina

One advantage of living in North Carolina is that housing shortage is not as severe as in many other more popular states and apart from the biggest and most popular cities, you will find more than enough housing options no matter whether you search for a home for a big family or a small flat for a single household.

Rents in North Carolina are still affordable for the general public

You should also know that rents are pretty low in most parts of NC and while people moving to San José or other much more expensive regions often have to spend lots of money on housing, people in North Carolina may have much more money left to spend on other nice things.

Property prices in NC are fairly low

Not only rents are still reasonably low but also property prices in North Carolina are still affordable for the general public and you may therefore be able to buy a nice home sooner or later and live the classic American dream while this may no longer be possible in many more expensive regions.

Many people don’t have to overextend themselves for buying a home in NC

While many people moving to NYC or other fancy regions often have to greatly overextend themselves for buying a home in this region, many people in North Carolina can do so at a rather low price and their mortgage rates may also be far lower which gives them more wiggle room to manage their finances in the long run.

Easy to find a decent place to stay after moving to North Carolina rather quickly

You also don’t have to worry about not finding a place to stay after moving to North Carolina since there will be many housing options lined up for you and you will find something within a reasonable period of time while people moving to Seattle or other pretty crowded and popular regions may have a much harder time doing so.

Living costs in North Carolina are fairly low

You should also keep in mind that living costs in NC are lower than in many other regions and this means you don’t have to spend as much money on drinks or many other nice things and may be able to afford much more for the same budget compared to people living in far more expensive regions.

Low overall financial pressure for many people moving to North Carolina

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, also overall financial pressure for people living in North Carolina may be far lower compared to people moving to Boston or other much more expensive regions and people in NC may therefore not have to worry about financial problems as much and may be less likely to suffer from mental health conditions due to that.

You don’t have to make a fortune to afford a decent lifestyle in NC

Due to rather low living costs, people in North Carolina also don’t have to make really good money from what they are doing to afford a decent lifestyle and may therefore also not have to work as many extra hours compared to people living in more expensive regions who often have to work much more to afford a decent lifestyle.

It’s not all about the money in North Carolina

While people are often quite shallow in many other regions and mainly care about how much you make and the nice things you can afford, many people in NC are different in the sense that they mainly care about your character and you can therefore have a great time in this region even if you don’t make really good money from your job.

People are often less career-focused in NC than in many other states

You should also know that many people in North Carolina are less career-focused and may take more time to get into conversations with you compared to people moving to San Francisco or other regions where people often have to get from one meeting to the other and work crazy hours just to survive.

You can enjoy beautiful nature in North Carolina

Another upside to living in North Carolina is that you can also enjoy lots of beautiful nature, including nice lakes, rivers and forests and you will therefore find more than enough places to relax outdoors so you can relax and reload your batteries for the challenging times that may lie yet ahead of you.

Many things to do outdoors in North Carolina

Since there are so many nice nature locations, you can go fishing, hunting and do many other exciting things in those natural environments and this can not only be quite a lot of fun for you and your family but it can also help you learn a lot about nature and how to protect it as best as possible so we can hand over a livable future to the next generations.

You can exercise in a natural manner

Thanks to the many nice things you can do outdoors, you can also exercise in a pretty natural manner in most parts of NC and while other people have to go to the gym to stay fit, you can stay in shape by just doing what you love to do and this can make a big difference in terms of motivation in the long run.

Decent air quality in many parts of North Carolina

Outside of the big cities of NC, you will also find many places with pretty good air quality and by hanging out in those places, you can do your body a real favor since the more clean air you get, the less likely it may be that you will suffer from serious pulmonary problems later on.

Many big cities in North Carolina

Another benefit of living in North Carolina is that there are many big cities in this state and you can therefore not only enjoy big city life at home but may also want to make many nice trips to other cities so you can make even more interesting experiences and will not get bored with your life in North Carolina in the long run.

Decent mix of big city life and nature activities

Since there are so many nice things to do in nature while you can also enjoy your life in the big cities, North Carolina also provides a great mix of big city life and nature activities so you may be able to start a nice professional career while you can still make many nice memories for a lifetime in those natural environments with your kids.

You find many recreational spaces in the big cities

You will also find many parks and other green spaces in the big cities of NC where you can just sit down on a bench and relax during lunch break or after work so you can stay balanced and motivated for the challenging times yet ahead of you.

Warm summers and mild winters are attractive to many people in NC

Many people in North Carolina also really appreciate overall climatic conditions since it is pretty warm in summer while it is also rather mild during winter and this often allows you to hang outdoors during winter months with just a light shirt so you may feel like being on vacation all year long.

North Carolina is located at the coast

Another advantage of moving to North Carolina is that the state also has a broad coastline and you will therefore be able to go swimming, surfing or just relax at the beach on a regular basis while many people moving to Colorado or other non-coastal places will envy you for having this luxury.

NC is a pretty tolerant state

You should also keep in mind that North Carolina is a pretty popular state where you will be welcome no matter where you come from or what your background is and chances are you will be able to make many really great friends from different parts of the world rather quickly.

You can meet many helpful people in North Carolina

Many people in North Carolina are also pretty helpful and in case you get lost or need assistance in various other parts of life during your first weeks or months when everything may look unfamiliar to you, you will often find kind people who will be happy to help you out.

Many opportunities to socialize in North Carolina

Since there are many locations where you can meet many new people in the big cities of NC, you will also be able to make many new social connections rather quickly and don’t have to worry about getting socially isolated after moving to this place since you will often have more than enough people to hang out with.

You can have many interesting conversations in NC

Since North Carolina attracts so many different people, you will also be able to have many exciting conversations with people with different backgrounds and by talking to those people, you will soon realize that your way of life is just one of many and may become a more tolerant person in general.

You can learn about different lifestyles in the big cities of North Carolina

You may also be able to experience many different lifestyles in North Carolina and you may also be able to adopt some helpful things into your own life so you can really benefit from those experiences and may also be able to become a more mature person in the long run.

North Carlina may be an interesting place to live self-sufficient

Moving to North Carolina can also make sense in case you want to live a self-sufficient lifestyle since you may be able to buy a large piece of land at a rather affordable price and thanks to mild climatic conditions, you may be able to grow your own veggies and fruits all year long and may no longer have to rely on conventional stores for most things of life.

You can experience many different cultural influences in North Carolina

Another upside to moving to North Carolina is that it is also a culturally diverse place and a melting pot for people from all over the US and you can therefore learn a lot about many different cultures and will often be surprised by how nice those exotic traditions can really be.

Many great foods to try in North Carolina

Thanks to many different cultural influences in the big cities of North Carolina, you will also be able to try many different foods in this region and this can not only make your life much more interesting but can also give you some inspiration when it comes to cooking at home.

North Carolina is not the most hectic state

Since living costs in North Carolina are rather low, many people are also able to live a pretty relaxed lifestyle and NC is therefore not as hectic and busy as many other parts of the US so you can really live your life in a pretty laid-back atmosphere outside of the big cities of NC.

Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of North Carolina

While you may get stuck in traffic jams during rush hour in the big cities of NC, traffic is not a big deal in the rural parts of the state at all and you may be able to get around by car in a pretty efficient manner while people moving to Chicago or other crowded places may lose lots of time in traffic on a daily basis.

You find most things you need close to your home in NC

Another benefit of moving to North Carolina is that you will also find most things you need pretty close to your home as long as you move to the urban parts of the state and this can be great since it allows you to live your life in a pretty efficient manner since you don’t have to spend lots of money on rather unproductive tasks.

Decent schools and colleges in the big cities of North Carolina

As long as you move to the big cities of North Carolina, you will also find many decent schools and colleges and can make sure that your kids get proper education so they can find a decent job later on.

Decent medical infrastructure in the biggest cities

You should also know that overall quality of doctors and hospitals is pretty decent in the big cities of North Carolina and in case you suffer from a serious health condition, chances are you will find an expert who will be able to treat your condition in the best possible manner so you may be able to recover as quickly as possible.

Solid public transport in the big metropolitan regions of NC

In the biggest cities of North Carolina, you will also find pretty decent public transport and may not even need a car to get around which can be great for your finances since you may be able to save lots of money on fuel and can also help you protect our environment since you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Most people in NC have solid internet connection

You also don’t have to worry about your internet connection in the urban parts of North Carolina since it is pretty decent most of the time and having great internet may enable you to work from home and you can also make video calls with your loved ones from other states so you can stay in touch with them and stay emotionally connected even if you don’t see them a lot in person.

North Carolina is a rather pet-friendly state

You should also know that NC is a pretty pet-friendly place and landlords often allow you to keep pets in their rental apartments and by walking down the streets with your dog, chances are you will also meet some other pet lovers and will be able to have many interesting conversations with them.

Your city will likely not get flooded by tourists

Since North Carolina is not the most popular place among international tourists yet, chances are you will also not run into large groups of tourists as often as people moving to Orlando or other touristic locations and may have more space for yourself in public and may also be able to live your life in a more efficient manner in general.

North Carolina may be an attractive place to retire

Since it is pretty warm in North Carolina and living costs are still affordable, it can be a great place to retire since you can enjoy lots of time at the beach and will also find many things to do in nature so you don’t need a pretty good pension to live a decent lifestyle in this region as a retiree.

North Carolina may be a good place for students

North Carolina may also be a solid place to study since you don’t have to spend as much money on housing or many other things as people studying in NYC or other much more expensive places while you can still find solid colleges where you can get decent education and a valuable degree.

You find decent art scenes in the big cities of North Carolina

Moving to North Carolina may also make quite a lot of sense for artists since you can find many solid art scenes in the big cities and will therefore be able to hang out with many like-minded people.

Decent sports teams in North Carolina

You will also find many great sports teams in North Carolina and no matter whether it is hockey, basketball or other sports you are interested in, you will find many great games you can watch live in person at the highest level and can really enjoy your time in the big cities of NC in this regard.

You can make many nice day trips in North Carolina

Since there are so many nice things to do in nature, you can also make many nice day trips together with your loved ones and can also teach your kids quite a lot about our environment and why it is important to protect our planet as best as possible so they can turn into responsible grownups once they get older and can also spread this important message.

North Carolina may be an interesting place for property investors

Since North Carolina is a rather landlord-friendly place and rental yields are pretty decent in many regions, it may also be a solid place for property investors who want to expand their property portfolios and build a solid positive cash flow rather quickly so they may be able to live from their returns later on.

North Carolina may still be underrated

Since there are so many nice things to do in nature while you can still enjoy big city life and living and housing costs are fairly low, North Carolina may still be considered an underrated place to live and by moving to NC now, you may be able to enjoy many nice things at a lower price than in many other regions in the US.

Now that you know the reasons for moving to North Carolina, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in North Carolina so you can get a more realistic picture of reality and will be better able to decide whether you still want to move to North Carolina or rather want to live in Minnesota or other interesting places instead.

Disadvantages of Living in North Carolina

1. Income level is pretty low in North Carolina
2. Getting rich may be rather difficult in NC
3. Unemployment is a big problem in many regions of NC
4. Low-qualified people often have to work multiple jobs to survive
5. Hard to build a strong business network in many parts of North Carolina
6. North Carolina may have to deal with many social problems in the future
7. Natural disasters will become more common in North Carolina
8. Costs of homeowners insurance are about to increase in North Carolina
9. North Carolina may be too humid for you
10. Lack of real seasons may get annoying for people living in North Carolina in the long run
11. Rents and property prices may increase significantly in the future
12. The big cities of North Carolina become increasingly crowded
13. Public transport is not great outside of the big cities of NC
14. People who don’t own a car may get stuck at home
15. You may have a hard time finding good doctors and hospitals in the rural parts of NC
16. Hard to find really good education outside of the big cities
17. People in the rural parts of NC may have to spend lots of time organizing their lives
18. Hard to meet many international tourists in North Carolina
19. Big city life in North Carolina may not be for everyone
20. Increasing level of inequality in North Carolina
21. Above-average crime rates in North Carolina
22. Distances can be rather long in the rural parts of NC
23. Many people in NC may not be able to save up enough money for retirement
24. Nightlife is not great outside of the big cities of North Carolina
25. Many young people consider leaving the rural parts of NC
26. Many people in North Carolina are still pretty traditional and conservative
27. Rather questionable future outlook for North Carolina

Income level is pretty low in North Carolina

One problem with living in North Carolina is that overall income levels are pretty low and you may have a much harder time making really good money from what you are doing compared to people moving to Washington D.C. or other regions where income prospects are just far higher on average.

Getting rich may be rather difficult in NC

Since you will have a hard time making really good money in this state, moving to NC may also not be a great choice in case your goal is to get rich as quickly as possible.

Unemployment is a big problem in many regions of NC

You should also not forget that many regions in North Carolina have to deal with pretty high unemployment rates and if you are unlucky, it may take you quite a long time to find a job in the region you move to and you may also have to worry about losing your job on a regular basis.

Low-qualified people often have to work multiple jobs to survive

Since income prospects for low-qualified people are pretty low in most regions of NC, you may even have to work multiple jobs just to survive and may still not be able to afford any luxury and this can lead to burnout and all sorts of other health problems in the long run.

Hard to build a strong business network in many parts of North Carolina

Another downside to living in North Carolina is that since the state doesn’t attract as many talented and ambitious people as many other regions where income levels are far higher, you will also have a pretty hard time building a strong business network in this region and this may slow down your career progress quite a lot.

North Carolina may have to deal with many social problems in the future

Due to high unemployment rates, many regions in North Carolina may also have to deal with all sorts of social problems in the future which may lower overall quality of life quite a lot in the long run.

Natural disasters will become more common in North Carolina

Due to climate change, natural disasters will become far more common in North Carolina in the future and this is bad news for you since you may lose everything you have during one of those unpleasant events and may have to rebuild your life from scratch.

Costs of homeowners insurance are about to increase in North Carolina

Since natural disasters will become more common in most parts of NC, also the costs of homeowners insurance will likely increase significantly which will make living in NC far more expensive than it already is and some people may no longer be able to afford to live in this region just a few years from now.

North Carolina may be too humid for you

You should also keep in mind that NC is a pretty humid place and while some people like this sort of climate, many others can’t stand it and if you belong to the second group of people, you may be better off moving to Illinois or other regions where humidity doesn’t play as much of a role as in NC.

Lack of real seasons may get annoying for people living in North Carolina in the long run

You should also know that winters are pretty mild in North Carolina and this means that you will rarely experience snow and this will often prevent you from doing winter sports or other nice things while people moving to Alaska will have far more opportunities in this regard.

Rents and property prices may increase significantly in the future

While rents and property prices are still moderately low in many parts of North Carolina, they may still increase in the future since NC becomes more popular by people from all over the US and the more people come to NC, the higher overall demand for housing and the higher rents and property prices will climb.

The big cities of North Carolina become increasingly crowded

Another disadvantage of living in North Carolina is that the big cities of NC become increasingly crowded and you may therefore have to deal with a rather busy atmosphere in those cities and may no longer find enough places to relax on your own in public.

Public transport is not great outside of the big cities of NC

While public transport may be decent in the big cities of North Carolina, it still gets far worse in the outskirts and suburbs where you may no longer be able to get around by car or train in an efficient manner.

People who don’t own a car may get stuck at home

If you want to move to rather rural regions of NC and are no longer able to drive, you may also have a hard time since you may just not be mobile enough to live your life in an efficient manner since you may not be able to rely on public transport or other means of transportation to get around.

You may have a hard time finding good doctors and hospitals in the rural parts of NC

While you will find decent doctors and hospitals in the big cities of North Carolina, medical infrastructure gets worse in the rural regions of the state and you may therefore have to drive long distances to find an expert who will be able to cure your health condition in a proper manner in case you want to live in a rather remote region of NC.

Hard to find really good education outside of the big cities

You should also know that it is pretty hard to find really good schools outside of the big cities and this means that you would often have to spend lots of time driving and your kids to school and this may eat up lots of your precious time, can be really costly and may just be pretty annoying in the long run.

People in the rural parts of NC may have to spend lots of time organizing their lives

If you want to move to a remote rural region in NC, you should also know that you would have to spend lots of additional time organizing your life since many important things are often only available in the urban regions and you may therefore have to drive long hours on a regular basis and may also have to do so for getting to work and back.

Hard to meet many international tourists in North Carolina

Another downside to moving to North Carolina is that you may also have a hard time meeting many international tourists since North Carolina is just not really popular on a global scale and you may therefore just miss out on many interesting conversations with people from remote parts of the world.

Big city life in North Carolina may not be for everyone

While you can enjoy big city life in the biggest metropolitan regions of NC, it may just not be for you and in case you rather want to enjoy your life in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, you may be better off moving to the rural parts of NC or in a state where population density is much lower.

Increasing level of inequality in North Carolina

Since property prices and rents are about to increase, living in NC will become increasingly expensive in the future and this will lead to higher levels of inequality since landlords will benefit in many regions while tenants may no longer know how to pay their bills and may become increasingly desperate due to that.

Above-average crime rates in North Carolina

Another problem with moving to North Carolina is that crime rates are pretty high in many regions and if you are not careful, you may end up in rather dodgy parts of the big cities and may get into serious trouble.

Distances can be rather long in the rural parts of NC

While public infrastructure is pretty decent in the big cities of NC, it still becomes worse in the rural regions and distances may therefore be pretty long and it may take you quite a long time to get from A to B outside of the big cities.

Many people in NC may not be able to save up enough money for retirement

Due to rather low income levels and increasing living costs, many people in North Carolina are also no longer able to save enough money for retirement and may have to deal with serious old-age poverty later on.

Nightlife is not great outside of the big cities of North Carolina

Another disadvantage of moving to NC is that you will often have a hard time finding good bars and clubs outside of the big metropolitan regions and if you are a party person, you may just not get happy with nightlife in those regions in the long run.

Many young people consider leaving the rural parts of NC

Since there are not many exciting things to do in the rural parts of North Carolina, many young people also consider leaving those places and if you are still young and move to NC, you may not be able to hang out with as many people of your age as you might have wished.

Many people in North Carolina are still pretty traditional and conservative

While you will be able to meet many open and tolerant people in the big cities of NC, you should still know that some rural regions are still pretty conservative and may not appreciate alternative ways of life as much as in many other regions in the US.

Rather questionable future outlook for North Carolina

Since North Carolina has to deal with high crime rates and economic conditions are not really great, also its overall future outlook is rather unclear and if overall quality of life drops significantly, many people may leave North Carolina in the future and you may just not get happy in this place in the long run.

Top 10 Moving To North Carolina Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is North Carolina A Good Place To Live?

While North Carolina can be a great place to live since you can enjoy nice weather and can spend lots of time at the beach and in beautiful nature while living and housing costs are still affordable, you should also know that North Carolina has to deal with high crime and unemployment rates and also has a rather questionable future outlook.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of moving to North Carolina by yourself so you can make the best possible decision according to your individual preferences.

Most Popular Cities To Live In North Carolina – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to North Carolina, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in New Mexico

Advantages and disadvantages of living in New York State

Advantages and disadvantages of living in New Jersey

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NC

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 that 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.