Carolina Beach, NC housing market
The typical Carolina Beach home is worth about $604,000, up 1.5% in a year, 80% above the North Carolina typical home. Homes typically sell in 42 days, below asking.
Home values, sales, trends and how Carolina Beach compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Carolina Beach at a glance
A buyer's market
More homes are for sale than are selling — about 9 months of supply. Buyers have room to negotiate.
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | Carolina Beach | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $290,000 | $179,000 |
| 2018 | $315,000 | $190,000 |
| 2019 | $338,000 | $203,000 |
| 2020 | $355,000 | $215,000 |
| 2021 | $404,000 | $242,000 |
| 2022 | $527,000 | $287,000 |
| 2023 | $595,000 | $320,000 |
| 2024 | $616,000 | $332,000 |
| 2025 | $616,000 | $338,000 |
| 2026 | $597,000 | $336,000 |
| August 2026 | $604,000 | $335,000 |
83 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 83 new homes in Carolina Beach in 2025: 75 single-family houses and 8 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $23.4 million to build. That's 12 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of North Carolina as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Carolina Beach has permitted 1,025 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Carolina Beach gained 858 residents while 758 new homes were permitted: about 1.1 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 37% of Carolina Beach's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across North Carolina: 1.7 new residents per new home.
How Carolina Beach ranks on housing keeping up with growth →
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 41 | 41 | 0 | $13.4 million |
| 2025 | 83 | 75 | 8 | $23.4 million |
| 2024 | 58 | 58 | 0 | $17.4 million |
| 2023 | 77 | 75 | 2 | $24.8 million |
| 2022 | 128 | 120 | 8 | $51.4 million |
| 2021 | 157 | 69 | 88 | $38.8 million |
| 2020 | 144 | 58 | 86 | $30.8 million |
| 2019 | 71 | 50 | 21 | $20.5 million |
| 2018 | 91 | 71 | 20 | $27.4 million |
| 2017 | 121 | 119 | 2 | $26.1 million |
| 2016 | 95 | 47 | 48 | $16.3 million |
| 2015 | 91 | 67 | 24 | $20.4 million |
| 2014 | 82 | 78 | 4 | $18.1 million |
| 2013 | 78 | 78 | 0 | $16.9 million |
| 2012 | 69 | 69 | 0 | $14.2 million |
| 2011 | 32 | 32 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| 2010 | 28 | 22 | 6 | $5.8 million |
| 2009 | 22 | 22 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2008 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2007 | 42 | 24 | 18 | $8.9 million |
| 2006 | 125 | 79 | 46 | $29.1 million |
| 2005 | 324 | 52 | 272 | $59 million |
| 2004 | 215 | 123 | 92 | $32.1 million |
| 2003 | 51 | 26 | 25 | $7.4 million |
How Carolina Beach ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Carolina Beach and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Beach | $604K | +1.5% | $1,790 | 83 | $94,398 |
| Kure Beach | $762K | +0.1% | $1,760 | 14 | $104,149 |
6.4 years of income
The typical Carolina Beach home costs about 6.4 years of the town's median household income, more than across North Carolina (4.6 years).
How Carolina Beach ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,790
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Carolina Beach is $1,790 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Carolina Beach pay a median of $1,513, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 23% of the town's median household income.
Studio $1,230 · 4 bedrooms $2,500
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (28428; Wilmington, NC HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Recent listings in Carolina Beach
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.