Dentists salary in Durham, NC

Median pay for dentists in Durham, NC: $209,240/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $132,880 – $239,200 · about 260 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($165,500) by +$43,740 (+26%).

What it's really worth in Durham

With Durham's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $209,240 has the buying power of about $214,942 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $76,040 · median home $414,340 · median rent $1,703/mo.

Full Durham cost of living & taxes →

How Durham ranks for this job

On raw pay, Durham, NC is 11th of the 171 metros we hold dentists wages for. Once Durham's cost of living is applied, it ranks 12th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Durham sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Durham

A median home in Durham, NC costs $414,340 — about 2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,703/mo works out at 10% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where dentists earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Durham.

Metro	Median pay	vs Durham	Rent vs Durham
Charlotte, NC	$239,200	+14%	1×
Salem, OR	$226,010	+8%	1×
Anchorage, AK	$225,170	+8%	1×
Phoenix, AZ	$219,600	+5%	1×

Same job elsewhere in NC

Metro	Median pay	vs Durham	Rent vs Durham
Charlotte, NC	$239,200	+14%	1×
Hickory, NC	$188,350	−10%	0.9×
Asheville, NC	$178,160	−15%	1×
Raleigh, NC	$167,360	−20%	1×

Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires dentists around Durham

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• Biogen · Healthcare

Other jobs in Durham