The 10 Cheapest Charlotte, NC Neighborhoods To Live In For 2022


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

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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 2022? 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:

The 10 Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In Charlotte For 2022

1. University City South

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,206
Cost Of Living Index: 82 (cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.8 (10th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.011 (18th cheapest)
More on University City South: Homes For Sale | Data

2. Mineral Springs-Rumble Road

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 8,946
Cost Of Living Index: 88 (19th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (3rd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.014 (33rd cheapest)
More on Mineral Springs-Rumble Road: Homes For Sale | Data

3. Eagle Lake

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,402
Cost Of Living Index: 87 (12th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.7 (7th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.015 (38th cheapest)
More on Eagle Lake: Homes For Sale | Data

4. Todd Park

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 856
Cost Of Living Index: 86 (8th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 0.9 (cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.02 (75th cheapest)
More on Todd Park: Homes For Sale | Data

5. Newell South

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 3,550
Cost Of Living Index: 92 (46th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 2.2 (18th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.012 (2cheapest)
More on Newell South: Homes For Sale | Data

6. Yorkmount

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 10,535
Cost Of Living Index: 89 (26th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.2 (2nd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.021 (8cheapest)
More on Yorkmount: Homes For Sale | Data

7. Starmount Forest

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,643
Cost Of Living Index: 86 (8th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (5th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.023 (97th cheapest)
More on Starmount Forest: Homes For Sale | Data

8. Clanton Park-Roseland

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,742
Cost Of Living Index: 85 (4th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.4 (4th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.023 (105th cheapest)
More on Clanton Park-Roseland: Homes For Sale | Data

9. East Forest

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 14,488
Cost Of Living Index: 88 (19th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.7 (6th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.022 (92nd cheapest)
More on East Forest: Homes For Sale | Data

10. Smallwood

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,183
Cost Of Living Index: 84 (2nd cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 1.9 (11th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.024 (113th cheapest)
More on Smallwood: Homes For Sale | Data

Methodology: How We Determined The Cheapest Charlotte Hoods In 2022

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 151 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.

Summary: Lowest Cost Places To Live 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 2022

Rank Neighborhood Cost Of Living Index
1 University City South 82
2 Mineral Springs-Rumble Road 88
3 Eagle Lake 87
4 Todd Park 86
5 Newell South 92
6 Yorkmount 89
7 Starmount Forest 86
8 Clanton Park-Roseland 85
9 East Forest 88
10 Smallwood 84
11 Westchester 89
12 Lakewood 88
13 Oak Forest 88
14 Wildwood 92
15 Prosperity Church Road 101
16 Pawtuckett 95
17 Beatties Ford-Trinity 95
18 Coulwood West 97
19 Sardis Forest 108
20 Marlwood 90
21 Closeburn-Glenkirk 102
22 Jt Williams 88
23 Druid Hills North 88
24 Belmont 95
25 Henderson Circle 98
26 Enderly Park 87
27 Park Crossing 104
28 Plaza-Eastway 88
29 Firestone-Garden Park 92
30 University City North 92
31 Hidden Valley 86
32 Johnston Rd-Mcalpine 98
33 Olde Whitehall 101
34 Yorkshire 102
35 North Charlotte 102
36 Fourth Ward 108
37 Montclaire South 92
38 Davis Lake-Eastfield 105
39 Griers Fork 99
40 Thomasboro-Hoskins 85
41 Westerly Hills 90
42 Derita-Statesville 92
43 Becton Park 95
44 Marshbrooke 96
45 North Sharon Amity-Reddman Roa 94
46 Ballantyne West 115
47 Greenville 91
48 West Sugar Creek 97
49 Stonehaven 109
50 Sugaw Creek-Ritch Ave 92
51 Providence Crossing 121
52 Wesley Heights 112
53 Hickory Grove 98
54 Farm Pond 91
55 Highland Creek 110
56 Starmount 105
57 Echo Hills 96
58 Oakdale South 98
59 Oakhurst 96
60 Providence Plantation 124
61 Hwy 51-Park Road 99
62 Idlewild South 96
63 Sharon Woods 113
64 Country Club Heights 108
65 Quail Hollow 114
66 First Ward 98
67 Revolution Park 86
68 Madison Park 107
69 Lockwood 96
70 Third Ward 110
71 Harris-Houston 93
72 Plaza Midwood 124
73 Druid Hills South 84
74 Windsor Park 91
75 Capitol Drive 86
76 Toddville Road 96
77 Eastway-Sheffield Park 98
78 Hickory Ridge 96
79 Providence Park 104
80 Sardis Woods 108
81 Commonwealth 116
82 Nevin Community 94
83 Lincoln Heights 88
84 Grier Heights 89
85 Slater Rd-Hamilton Circle 92
86 Harbor House 103
87 Oxford Hunt 123
88 Oaklawn 87
89 Colonial Village 107
90 Sterling 100
91 Jackson Homes 89
92 Whiteoak 116
93 Wilson Heights 94
94 Rain Tree 110
95 Hembstead 140
96 University Park 92
97 Mccrorey Heights 89
98 Rockwell Park-Hemphill Heights 99
99 Ponderosa-Wingate 91
100 Shannon Park 93
101 Ashbrook-Clawson Village 114
102 Villa Heights 93
103 Wessex Square 169
104 Optimist Park 101
105 Provincetowne 114
106 Wilmore 112
107 Ashley Park 90
108 Chantilly 122
109 Reid Park 90
110 Briarcreek-Woodland 93
111 Olde Providence North 132
112 Olde Providence South 128
113 Downtown Sharlotte 114
114 Sherwood Forest 125
115 Cotswold 120
116 Freedom Park 138
117 Tryon Hills 90
118 Eastland-Wilora Lake 94
119 Mountainbrook 137
120 Piper Glen Estates 128
121 Eastover 190
122 Washington Heights 87
123 Arbor Glen 90
124 Collingwood 103
125 Coliseum Drive 94
126 Genesis Park 91
127 Ballantyne East 133
128 Pinecrest 91
129 Touchstone Village-Elm Lane 114
130 Idlewild Farms 96
131 Westover Hills 88
132 Beverly Woods 134
133 West Blvd 94
134 Myers Park 170
135 Foxcroft 159
136 Elizabeth 132
137 Dilworth 140
138 Governor's Square 127
139 Cherry 110
140 Barclay Downs 142
141 Seversville 93
142 Sedgefield 113
143 Plaza Hills 111
144 Biddleville 91
145 Carmel 133
146 Wendover-Sedgewood 162
147 Plaza-Shamrock 94
148 Back Creek Church Road 97
149 Lansdowne 132
150 Double Oaks 99
151 Seven Eagles 156

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our third time ranking the cheapest neighborhoods to live in Charlotte.

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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