cost of living

a box of basic food staples

PW special report: Low pay, high cost of living are sending UNC System grad students to food pantries

BY: - May 11, 2022

Folasewa Olatunde didn’t want to go to the dentist. But sharp pain and inflammation in her mouth told her she should. The dentist told her she needed to have a molar removed and some cavities filled. The cost: more than $3,000.

New Living Income Standard shows many families can’t afford the basics in North Carolina

BY: - March 28, 2019

Many families in North Carolina do not earn enough to pay for their basic needs, according to a new report by the N.C. Budget & Tax Center.  Many more live paycheck to paycheck and don’t earn enough to save in order to plan for their future or invest in their children and their education. The […]

COMMENTARY

NC wages not keeping up with real cost of living

BY: - September 2, 2015

In case you missed it, the latest edition of the Justice Center’s “Prosperity Watch” has some less-than-encourgaing news about the “Carolina Comeback”: With wages stagnating, the price of many necessities soars Getting by is getting harder in North Carolina. The cost of some basic necessities are growing faster than wages in North Carolina, catching households […]