Most of Durham is in Durham County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $49.18 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 15 ZIP codes in Durham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,360 to $1,720 a month. At the middle rent, $1,520, a full-time job would need to pay $49.93 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27701 | Durham County | $1,360/mo | $43.91/hr |
| 27702 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27703 | Durham County | $1,570/mo | $51.82/hr |
| 27704 | Durham County | $1,420/mo | $46.17/hr |
| 27705 | Durham County | $1,500/mo | $49.18/hr |
| 27706 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27707 | Durham County | $1,490/mo | $48.80/hr |
| 27708 | Durham County | $1,500/mo | $49.18/hr |
| 27709 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27710 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27712 | Durham County | $1,720/mo | $57.47/hr |
| 27713 | Durham County | $1,650/mo | $54.83/hr |
| 27715 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27717 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
| 27722 | Durham County | $1,520/mo | $49.93/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Durham needs to pay at least $49.18 an hour before taxes, about $102,295 a year. That is the figure for Durham County, where the typical studio rent is $1,500 a month.
Yes. Across the 15 ZIP codes in Durham with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,360 to $1,720 a month. At the middle rent of $1,520, the pay needed would be $49.93 an hour.
The minimum wage in Durham County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 6.8 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