The 10 Cheapest Charlotte, NC Neighborhoods To Live In For 2019


We used science and data to determine which neighborhoods in Charlotte are the cheapest of the cheap.

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
January 12, 2020 - 2,597 views
Editor’s Note: This is our first time ranking the cheapest neighborhoods to live in Charlotte.
Cheapest Neighborhoods In Charlotte
Source: Wikipedia User Greengrass090 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Everything else equal, I think we can all agree that living in a cheaper place is better than living in a more expensive place.

I’d much rather pay $500/mo in rent than $1,000. And I’d rather pay $2 for coffee than $5.

And while every neighbhorhood in Charlotte might be more expensive than living in rural North Carolina, there are certain neighborhoods that are definitely cheaper.

So what exactly are those Charlotte neighborhoods where your dollar goes a little further — you can get that one bedroom instead of the studio?

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Charlotte are the cheapest.

What’s the cheapest neighborhood to live in Charlotte for 2020? According to the most recent census data, University City South looks to be the cheaptest Charlotte neighborhood to live in.

At this point we should make it clear that you do get what you pay for — some of these neighborhoods might not be the best places to live in Charlotte. You could be sacrificing location or crime rates in return for more space and cheaper groceries.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Charlotte that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Charlotte.

Once you’re done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from cheapest to most expensive.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

How We Determined The Cheapest Charlotte Hoods In 2020

In order to rank the cheapest places to live in Charlotte, we had to determine what criteria defines “cheap”.

Using census and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • Overall Cost Of Living
  • Rent To Income Ratio
  • Median Home Value To Income Ratio

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 150 in each category, where 1 was the cheapest.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a cheap neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest cheapest neighborhood index the “Cheapest City Neighborhood In Charlotte.” We’re lookin’ at you, University City South.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the cheapest places Charlotte. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from cheapest to most expensive.

The 10 Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In Charlotte For 2020

1. University City South

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,206
Cost Of Living Index: 79 (1st cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.8 (10th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.011 (17th cheapest)
More on University City South: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in University City South comes in at $30,048 and the median home value is $54,167 for 2020.

2. Eagle Lake

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,402
Cost Of Living Index: 85 (10th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.7 (7th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.015 (37th cheapest)
More on Eagle Lake: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Eagle Lake comes in at $46,382 and the median home value is $77,260 for 2020.

3. Mineral Springs-Rumble Road

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,946
Cost Of Living Index: 88 (34th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (3rd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.014 (32nd cheapest)
More on Mineral Springs-Rumble Road: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Mineral Springs-Rumble Road comes in at $60,660 and the median home value is $84,167 for 2020.

4. Todd Park

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 856
Cost Of Living Index: 84 (6th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 0.9 (1st cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.02 (74th cheapest)
More on Todd Park: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Todd Park comes in at $50,253 and the median home value is $45,900 for 2020.

5. Yorkmount

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,535
Cost Of Living Index: 86 (18th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.2 (2nd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.021 (80th cheapest)
More on Yorkmount: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Yorkmount comes in at $48,811 and the median home value is $57,040 for 2020.

6. Newell South

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,550
Cost Of Living Index: 92 (64th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 2.2 (18th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.012 (20th cheapest)
More on Newell South: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Newell South comes in at $58,750 and the median home value is $131,400 for 2020.

7. Starmount Forest

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,643
Cost Of Living Index: 84 (6th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (5th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.023 (96th cheapest)
More on Starmount Forest: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Starmount Forest comes in at $37,075 and the median home value is $52,650 for 2020.

8. Clanton Park-Roseland

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,742
Cost Of Living Index: 81 (2nd cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (4th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.023 (104th cheapest)
More on Clanton Park-Roseland: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Clanton Park-Roseland comes in at $30,774 and the median home value is $42,775 for 2020.

9. East Forest

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 14,488
Cost Of Living Index: 86 (18th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.7 (6th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.022 (91st cheapest)
More on East Forest: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in East Forest comes in at $40,222 and the median home value is $66,388 for 2020.

10. Smallwood

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,183
Cost Of Living Index: 83 (4th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.9 (11th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.024 (112th cheapest)
More on Smallwood: Homes For Sale | Data

The median income in Smallwood comes in at $30,106 and the median home value is $57,233 for 2020.

Summing Up The Cheapest Places In Charlotte

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Charlotte where prices are low and it’s cheap to live, this is an accurate list.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Charlotte aren’t all cheap. Seven Eagles takes the title of the most expensive neighborhood to live in Charlotte.

We ranked the neighborhoods from cheapest to most expensive in the chart below.

For more North Carolina reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In Charlotte For 2020

Rank Neighborhood Cost Of Living Index
1 University City South 79
2 Eagle Lake 85
3 Mineral Springs-Rumble Road 88
4 Todd Park 84
5 Yorkmount 86
6 Newell South 92
7 Starmount Forest 84
8 Clanton Park-Roseland 81
9 East Forest 86
10 Smallwood 83
11 Oak Forest 84
12 Westchester 89
13 Beatties Ford-Trinity 91
14 Pawtuckett 91
15 Lakewood 87
16 Belmont 91
17 Prosperity Church Road 98
18 Wildwood 91
19 Coulwood West 94
20 University City North 88
21 Closeburn-Glenkirk 99
22 Enderly Park 84
23 Sardis Forest 107
24 Firestone-Garden Park 89
25 Park Crossing 103
26 Henderson Circle 96
27 Montclaire South 88
28 Yorkshire 99
29 Plaza-Eastway 87
30 Jt Williams 88
31 Druid Hills North 88
32 Olde Whitehall 98
33 Hidden Valley 85
34 Marlwood 90
35 Westerly Hills 86
36 Fourth Ward 104
37 Johnston Rd-Mcalpine 96
38 North Charlotte 102
39 North Sharon Amity-Reddman Roa 90
40 Davis Lake-Eastfield 102
41 Griers Fork 97
42 Greenville 88
43 Sugaw Creek-Ritch Ave 89
44 Hickory Grove 94
45 Thomasboro-Hoskins 85
46 Becton Park 93
47 Ballantyne West 113
48 Stonehaven 106
49 Marshbrooke 94
50 Providence Crossing 119
51 Highland Creek 106
52 Wesley Heights 109
53 Derita-Statesville 91
54 West Sugar Creek 95
55 Starmount 102
56 Farm Pond 89
57 Oakhurst 93
58 Oakdale South 95
59 Echo Hills 94
60 Providence Plantation 121
61 Hwy 51-Park Road 96
62 Idlewild South 92
63 Toddville Road 91
64 Sharon Woods 109
65 Country Club Heights 104
66 Quail Hollow 112
67 First Ward 95
68 Lockwood 93
69 Madison Park 103
70 Eastway-Sheffield Park 94
71 Plaza Midwood 120
72 Commonwealth 112
73 Hickory Ridge 93
74 Third Ward 108
75 Druid Hills South 83
76 Providence Park 101
77 Sardis Woods 104
78 Nevin Community 91
79 Revolution Park 86
80 Harbor House 100
81 Jackson Homes 86
82 Capitol Drive 86
83 Windsor Park 90
84 Harris-Houston 92
85 Sterling 96
86 Oxford Hunt 120
87 Lincoln Heights 87
88 Colonial Village 104
89 Ponderosa-Wingate 87
90 Slater Rd-Hamilton Circle 91
91 Wilson Heights 91
92 Rockwell Park-Hemphill Heights 94
93 Whiteoak 113
94 Mccrorey Heights 86
95 Oaklawn 86
96 University Park 89
97 Rain Tree 107
98 Grier Heights 89
99 Hembstead 140
100 Shannon Park 90
101 Ashbrook-Clawson Village 110
102 Reid Park 87
103 Tryon Hills 86
104 Villa Heights 91
105 Chantilly 120
106 Ashley Park 88
107 Downtown Sharlotte 110
108 Optimist Park 100
109 Wilmore 111
110 Provincetowne 113
111 Pinecrest 86
112 Olde Providence South 125
113 Arbor Glen 86
114 Olde Providence North 131
115 Cotswold 119
116 Freedom Park 134
117 Sherwood Forest 123
118 Genesis Park 87
119 Eastland-Wilora Lake 91
120 Coliseum Drive 90
121 Mountainbrook 135
122 Piper Glen Estates 125
123 Eastover 189
124 Briarcreek-Woodland 93
125 Collingwood 100
126 Ballantyne East 131
127 Washington Heights 86
128 Touchstone Village-Elm Lane 111
129 Idlewild Farms 93
130 West Blvd 91
131 Beverly Woods 132
132 Myers Park 169
133 Foxcroft 157
134 Elizabeth 128
135 Dilworth 138
136 Seversville 89
137 Governor’s Square 122
138 Westover Hills 88
139 Cherry 108
140 Barclay Downs 142
141 Plaza Hills 107
142 Sedgefield 113
143 Carmel 129
144 Biddleville 89
145 Wendover-Sedgewood 159
146 Back Creek Church Road 95
147 Lansdowne 131
148 Double Oaks 95
149 Plaza-Shamrock 94
150 Seven Eagles 153

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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