Guide · North Carolina
Charlotte, the Triangle or the Triad: comparing first-home costs
Compare buying a first home in Charlotte, the Triangle and the Triad: NCHFA income limits, county tax rates, local price caps and city down payment programs side by side.
The three metros share the same NCHFA programs, but local limits and help differ a lot. Triangle counties have the highest NC 1st Home income limits. Charlotte has the biggest city program in House Charlotte. The Triad has Greensboro's Public Service Heroes tier and the highest county tax rate of the three in Guilford. Compare county income limits, tax rates and city help before you pick where to look.
How to compare the metros
A first-home budget in North Carolina depends on three local things: which income limit applies, what property tax you'll pay each year, and which city or county help you can add. Work through the steps below for each area you're thinking about. All figures come from NCHFA, the N.C. Department of Revenue and the city programs named.
Step 1: Check the income limit for the $15,000 option
NCHFA's 3% option has one $158,000 income limit everywhere. The $15,000 NC 1st Home Advantage Down Payment uses county limits for total family income. Here's how the three metros compare:
| Metro | County | 1 to 2 people | 3 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle | Wake | $132,000 | $152,000 |
| Durham | $129,000 | $149,000 | |
| Johnston | $132,000 | $152,000 | |
| Charlotte | Mecklenburg | $117,000 | $135,000 |
| Union | $117,000 | $135,000 | |
| Cabarrus | $117,000 | $135,000 | |
| Gaston | $117,000 | $135,000 | |
| Iredell | $107,000 | $123,000 | |
| Triad | Guilford | $110,000 | $126,000 |
| Forsyth | $103,000 | $118,000 | |
| Davidson | $117,000 | $136,000 | |
| Alamance | $114,000 | $131,000 |
The price cap for the $15,000 option is $525,000 in every county.
Two teachers earning a combined $125,000 would fit under the limit in Wake or Durham but not in Mecklenburg or Guilford, unless they have a child or another household member that moves them into the 3-or-more column.
Step 2: Estimate your yearly property tax
North Carolina counties tax property per $100 of assessed value. Cities, towns and some fire or special districts add their own rate on top. County rates for 2025-26, per the N.C. Department of Revenue:
| Metro | County | County rate per $100 | County tax on $300,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle | Wake | $0.5171 | $1,551 |
| Triangle | Durham | $0.5542 | $1,663 |
| Triangle | Johnston | $0.5200 | $1,560 |
| Charlotte | Mecklenburg | $0.4927 | $1,478 |
| Charlotte | Union | $0.4342 | $1,303 |
| Charlotte | Cabarrus | $0.5760 | $1,728 |
| Triad | Guilford | $0.7305 | $2,192 |
| Triad | Forsyth | $0.5352 | $1,606 |
To finish the math, add your city's rate from the city or county tax office, then divide by 12 to get the monthly escrow. Use the assessed value on the county's tax record, which can differ from the price, especially in a county that hasn't revalued recently.
Step 3: Look up local price caps
Lower-income programs set their own price limits. NCHFA's 2025 limits for CPLP, for an existing home, give a sense of each area:
- Triangle: Wake $390,000; Durham $380,000; Johnston $359,000
- Charlotte: Mecklenburg $371,000; Union $370,000; Cabarrus and Gaston $340,000; Iredell $307,000
- Triad: Guilford $266,000; Forsyth $268,000; Davidson $248,000; Alamance $276,000
City programs have their own caps. House Charlotte stops at $365,000. Raleigh's base program lists $389,500 in one place and $384,750 in another, so confirm with the City. Raleigh's Enhanced program allows up to $450,000 in its target areas. Concord's cap is $340,000 for an existing home.
Step 4: Add the city or county help
Charlotte area
- House Charlotte: up to $80,000 at or below 80% AMI, up to $30,000 at 80% to 110% AMI, inside city limits. City, county and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees in the upper tier can get up to $30,000 without the matching-funds rule. Funding is limited.
- Concord: $10,000 to $25,000, forgiven over five years, for first-time buyers in city limits.
Triangle
- Raleigh: up to $45,000, or up to $60,000 in target areas, for first-time buyers at or below 80% AMI.
- Wake County with DHIC: up to $20,000 forgivable outside Raleigh and Cary.
- Durham: up to $80,000 at or below 80% AMI, first come, first served from a $3.2 million pool.
Triad
- Greensboro: up to $30,000 at or below 80% AMI or $25,000 at 80% to 120% AMI, with a bonus in some neighborhoods.
- Greensboro Public Service Heroes: up to $30,000 for City and Guilford County employees, Guilford County school teachers and administrators, active-duty military and veterans, with no price cap.
- Forsyth County AHOP: a deferred second for first-time buyers at or below 80% AMI, plus a matched savings account through Experiment in Self-Reliance.
Step 5: Find a local CPLP member
If your household is at or below 80% of area median income, the Community Partners Loan Pool can add up to 25% of the price, capped at $50,000, on top of an NC Home Advantage Mortgage. You can only get it through a member group. A few that serve each metro, from NCHFA's member list:
- Charlotte area: DreamKey Partners, Ada Jenkins Center, Monroe-Union County CDC, Community Foundations CDC
- Triangle: DHIC, Consumer Education Services, Community Home Trust and EMPOWERment Inc. (Durham)
- Triad: Housing Consultants Group, Community Housing Solutions of Guilford, Financial Pathways of the Piedmont, Home Solutions of Davidson County
Call one before you sign a contract. CPLP needs at least 2 hours of in-person counseling.
Step 6: Put it side by side
Make one column per area and fill in four rows: your income limit, your expected yearly tax, the local price cap you'd face, and the most local help you could add. The area with the best mix isn't always the cheapest list price. A higher-priced Triangle home with a higher income limit can work when a cheaper Triad home's tax bill pushes your payment up.
When you've narrowed it to one or two counties, check your eligibility so a lender can price the actual programs there.
Reader questions
Which North Carolina metro has the highest income limit for the $15,000 option?
The Triangle. Wake and Johnston counties allow $132,000 for 1 to 2 people and $152,000 for 3 or more, and Durham allows $129,000 and $149,000.
Is property tax higher in Greensboro or Raleigh?
At the county level, Guilford's 2025-26 rate of $0.7305 per $100 is higher than Wake's $0.5171, per the N.C. Department of Revenue. City rates are added on top in both.
Can I use House Charlotte outside Charlotte?
No. House Charlotte requires the home to be inside Charlotte city limits. Elsewhere in the metro, check Concord's program and CPLP members such as DreamKey Partners or Ada Jenkins Center.
Do teachers get extra help in the Triad?
In Greensboro, yes. The Public Service Heroes tier covers Guilford County public school teachers and administrators, City and County employees, active-duty military and veterans, with up to $30,000.
Other guides in this series
- How the North Carolina offer to purchase and due diligence period work
- How an attorney closing works in North Carolina
- North Carolina closing costs: a line-by-line worksheet for buyers
- NCHFA's 3% or $15,000 down payment help: how to choose and stack it
- Buying near Fort Bragg or Camp Lejeune: a checklist for military buyers
- Setting up hurricane, wind and flood insurance on the North Carolina coast
- North Carolina property taxes on a first home, step by step
- North Carolina's Homes for Heroes bill: where it stands and what to use now
- Buying a manufactured home in North Carolina with down payment help
