01 · the cities
Fayetteville
Fayetteville's life revolves around Fort Liberty (recently renamed from Fort Bragg), one of the largest military installations in the world. The Cape Fear River runs past, the airborne and special operations museum is excellent, and the food scene reflects the international military families that cycle through. Southern, military, and friendly. Quieter than the big NC cities.
full dispatch→Lafayette
Lafayette is the unofficial capital of Cajun country, with zydeco music spilling out of dance halls, crawfish boils that count as social events, and gumbo so dark and rich it should be served with a nap. Mardi Gras here is huge but more family-friendly than New Orleans. The food (boudin, etouffee, cracklins) is the main reason to be here. Friendly in a way that's hard to fake.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,477/mo
$1,332/mo
$145/mo less than Fayetteville (11%)
Median home price
Median home price
$258k
$200k
$57k less than Fayetteville
State income tax
State income tax
4.5%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,481/mo
$6,751/mo
Lafayette has $270/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
193 days
211 days
18 more than Fayetteville
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
3 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Fayetteville has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Lafayette.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
51 / 100
43 / 100
8.0 pts behind Fayetteville
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
3 routes
Metro size
Metro size
392k metro
414k metro
Fayetteville has 3.0x more events per month than Lafayette.
the verdict
1
Fayetteville
categories won
6
Lafayette
categories won
Lafayette wins this comparison, leading on money and weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Fayetteville salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works