Most of Asheville is in Buncombe County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $47.67 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 10 ZIP codes in Asheville with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,470 to $1,740 a month. At the middle rent, $1,550, a full-time job would need to pay $51.06 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28801 | Buncombe County | $1,560/mo | $51.44/hr |
| 28802 | Buncombe County | $1,550/mo | $51.06/hr |
| 28803 | Buncombe County | $1,740/mo | $58.22/hr |
| 28804 | Buncombe County | $1,700/mo | $56.71/hr |
| 28805 | Buncombe County | $1,500/mo | $49.18/hr |
| 28806 | Buncombe County | $1,470/mo | $48.05/hr |
| 28813 | Buncombe County | $1,550/mo | $51.06/hr |
| 28814 | Buncombe County | $1,550/mo | $51.06/hr |
| 28815 | Buncombe County | $1,550/mo | $51.06/hr |
| 28816 | Buncombe County | $1,550/mo | $51.06/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Asheville needs to pay at least $47.67 an hour before taxes, about $99,161 a year. That is the figure for Buncombe County, where the typical studio rent is $1,460 a month.
Yes. Across the 10 ZIP codes in Asheville with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,470 to $1,740 a month. At the middle rent of $1,550, the pay needed would be $51.06 an hour.
The minimum wage in Buncombe County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 6.6 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads