Most of Charlotte is in Mecklenburg County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $56.90 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 57 ZIP codes in Charlotte with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,320 to $2,360 a month. At the middle rent, $1,670, a full-time job would need to pay $55.58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28202 | Mecklenburg County | $2,360/mo | $82.14/hr |
| 28203 | Mecklenburg County | $2,360/mo | $82.14/hr |
| 28204 | Mecklenburg County | $2,100/mo | $72.04/hr |
| 28205 | Mecklenburg County | $1,480/mo | $48.43/hr |
| 28206 | Mecklenburg County | $1,390/mo | $45.04/hr |
| 28207 | Mecklenburg County | $1,730/mo | $57.85/hr |
| 28208 | Mecklenburg County | $1,320/mo | $42.40/hr |
| 28209 | Mecklenburg County | $1,700/mo | $56.71/hr |
| 28210 | Mecklenburg County | $1,710/mo | $57.09/hr |
| 28211 | Mecklenburg County | $1,840/mo | $61.99/hr |
| 28212 | Mecklenburg County | $1,540/mo | $50.69/hr |
| 28213 | Mecklenburg County | $1,450/mo | $47.30/hr |
| 28214 | Mecklenburg County | $1,710/mo | $57.09/hr |
| 28215 | Mecklenburg County | $1,680/mo | $55.96/hr |
| 28216 | Mecklenburg County | $1,620/mo | $53.70/hr |
| 28217 | Mecklenburg County | $1,790/mo | $60.11/hr |
| 28219 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28220 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28221 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28222 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28223 | Mecklenburg County | $1,690/mo | $56.34/hr |
| 28224 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28226 | Mecklenburg County | $1,610/mo | $53.32/hr |
| 28227 | Mecklenburg County | $1,560/mo | $51.44/hr |
| 28228 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28229 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28230 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28231 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28232 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28233 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28234 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28235 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28236 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28237 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28241 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28244 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28246 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28247 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28254 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28256 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28262 | Mecklenburg County | $1,820/mo | $61.24/hr |
| 28266 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28269 | Mecklenburg County | $1,820/mo | $61.24/hr |
| 28270 | Mecklenburg County | $1,830/mo | $61.61/hr |
| 28271 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28273 | Mecklenburg County | $1,940/mo | $65.83/hr |
| 28274 | Mecklenburg County | $1,730/mo | $57.85/hr |
| 28277 | Mecklenburg County | $2,060/mo | $70.49/hr |
| 28278 | Mecklenburg County | $1,870/mo | $63.12/hr |
| 28280 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28281 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28282 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28284 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28285 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28287 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28297 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
| 28299 | Mecklenburg County | $1,670/mo | $55.58/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Charlotte needs to pay at least $56.90 an hour before taxes, about $118,358 a year. That is the figure for Mecklenburg County, where the typical studio rent is $1,705 a month.
Yes. Across the 57 ZIP codes in Charlotte with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,320 to $2,360 a month. At the middle rent of $1,670, the pay needed would be $55.58 an hour.
The minimum wage in Mecklenburg County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 7.8 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