Real Estate Sales Agents salary in Durham, NC

Median pay for real estate sales agents in Durham, NC: $48,760/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,180 – $119,180

Below the typical metro median ($50,020) by −$1,260 (-3%).

What it's really worth in Durham

With Durham's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $48,760 has the buying power of about $50,089 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 91st of the 167 metros we hold real estate sales agents wages for. Once Durham's cost of living is applied, it ranks 97th.

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 8.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,703/mo works out at 42% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where real estate sales agents 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
New York, NY	$103,960	+113%	2.1×
Buffalo, NY	$83,670	+72%	0.8×
Rochester, NY	$83,200	+71%	0.9×
Seattle, WA	$80,950	+66%	1.3×

Same job elsewhere in NC

Metro	Median pay	vs Durham	Rent vs Durham
Wilmington, NC	$59,990	+23%	1×
Hickory, NC	$50,820	+4%	0.9×
Charlotte, NC	$46,710	−4%	1×
Asheville, NC	$46,020	−6%	1×

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

Who hires real estate sales agents around Durham

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• Fidelity Investments · Finance
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina · Finance

Other jobs in Durham