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Charlotte
#33 of 124
North America

Charlotte

NC, United States

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Charlotte compare to Amsterdam?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Charlotte is 56% better off vs in Amsterdam

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Charlotte compared to Amsterdam, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$118,000
+$7K (+6%) vs Amsterdam
Based on 298 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$82,317
+$17K (+26%) vs Amsterdam
Tax Rate: 30%

Community Insights

New

Charlotte offers a pragmatic, comfortable, and financially savvy choice for software engineers who prioritize stability and homeownership over hype.

While it ranks impressively low in Cost of Living (#88) and high in Housing Affordability (#19), the trade-off is a tech scene dominated by banking and fintech. You won't find the chaotic energy of a startup hub here; instead, you'll find steady 9-to-5 enterprise jobs that pay well enough to afford a high quality of life. The city itself is modern, clean, and rapidly growing, though it often faces criticism for lacking a unique cultural identity compared to other major US cities.

Resident Sentiment

Content but occasionally bored.

Residents, especially transplants from the Northeast and West Coast, generally express high satisfaction with their financial freedom and the cleanliness of the city. There is a strong sense of relief regarding housing costs and safety (despite the average safety rank, many feel safe in the suburbs). However, a recurring theme in discussions is a lack of excitement—tech workers often describe the city as "nice" and "easy," but rarely "thrilling." Many view it as a perfect place to "settle down," but some younger singles find the social scene repetitive (mostly breweries and banks).

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to Amsterdam.

Rankings

Home Affordability

Top 15%

#18

of 124 cities

≈3.2 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Comfortable Weather

Top 23%

#28

of 124 cities

70/100 weather score

Current value

Pollution Score

Top 26%

#32

of 124 cities

34.8/100

Current value (lower is better)

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Charlotte compared to Amsterdam?

Avg. Property Price
$3,262 / m²
64% cheaper than Amsterdam
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Charlotte to maintain the same standard of living.

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Cost of Living
19% cheaper than Amsterdam
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Charlotte

Credit Karma logo
Credit Karma
Lowe's logo
Lowe's
Ally logo
Ally

The Good

  • High purchasing power: With a Cost of Living rank of #88 and decent tech salaries, engineers often find their money goes much further here than in hubs like NYC or SF, allowing for a higher savings rate.
  • Housing market accessibility: Ranked #19 in housing affordability, it is realistic for software engineers to buy a nice single-family home with a yard—something often out of reach in major tech cities.
  • Stable banking & fintech job market: As the second-largest banking hub in the U.S. (HQ for Bank of America and Truist, major hub for Wells Fargo), there is a steady demand for developers, particularly in Java and .NET stacks.
  • Clean and well-maintained: Transplants frequently praise the city for being remarkably clean, with newer infrastructure and a generally polished aesthetic compared to older Rust Belt or Northeast cities.
  • Family-friendly lifestyle: The area is often cited as excellent for raising a family, with good suburbs, manageable pace of life, and proximity to both mountains and beaches for weekend trips.

The Bad

  • Limited tech diversity: The local market is heavily skewed toward finance and insurance, meaning fewer opportunities in creative startups, big tech FAANG-style companies, or cutting-edge fields like AI/ML compared to other hubs.
  • Generic culture: A common Reddit complaint is that the city feels "vanilla" or "soulless"—often described as a city of chains and breweries without the deep historical or cultural grit of older cities.
  • Car dependency & sprawl: Public transit is limited (mostly a light rail line that serves specific corridors), making a car essential for daily life. Traffic is a frequent complaint as infrastructure struggles to keep up with growth.
  • Conservative tech stacks: Because the main employers are regulated banks, the work often involves maintaining legacy systems or working in rigid enterprise environments rather than using the latest trendy frameworks.
  • Humidity and allergens: The weather includes hot, muggy summers and high pollen counts, which can be a shock for transplants from the West Coast or drier climates.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Mid-career professionals and families seeking stability.

If you are tired of renting shoebox apartments in high-cost tech hubs and want to buy a spacious home, Charlotte is ideal. It fits engineers who are happy working with established enterprise tech stacks (Java, C#, .NET) and value a "work to live" mentality. It is also great for those who want a milder winter without giving up four distinct seasons.

Skip it if...

Hardcore urbanists and ambitious tech trend-chasers.

If your goal is to work at a "move fast and break things" startup or you demand a walkable, car-free lifestyle with 24/7 nightlife, Charlotte will likely frustrate you. The tech scene lacks the depth of opportunities found in Austin or the Bay Area, and the car-centric sprawl can be isolating for those used to dense city living.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather7.0/10+94% vs Amsterdam
Safety51-32%
Pollution35+53%
Events0-100%
7.0/10TechCities weather score vs 3.6/10 in Amsterdam

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
22°C(vs 13°C in Amsterdam)
Average Low
11°C(vs 7°C in Amsterdam)
Sunshine Hours
2,821h/yr+1159h/yr(+70%)
Hottest Month High
31°C(vs 21°C in Amsterdam)
Coldest Month Low
1°C(same as Amsterdam)
Rainy Days
104/yr-4/yr

Community & Quality

Charlotte community pulse

Charlotte has 0 Luma events listed.

100% fewer events than Amsterdam.

Purchasing Power

Top 27%

#33

of 124 cities

Net Income

Top 29%

#36

of 124 cities

$82,317/yr

Current value

Tax Rate

Middle of the pack

#54

of 124 cities

30%

Current value (lower is better)

Safety Index

Middle of the pack

#76

of 124 cities

50.8/100

Current value

Community Events

Bottom 33%

#84

of 124 cities

0 events on luma

Current value

Cost of Living

Bottom 32%

#85

of 124 cities

59/100

Current value (lower is better)

SWE Affordability
3.2 years
7.9 years quicker than Amsterdam
Muggy Days
80/yr+78/yr(+3378%)
Cloud Cover
43%(vs 56% in Amsterdam)