Plan the numbers
Cost of Living in Moore County, North Carolina
Property taxes are the one relocation cost you can check exactly before you buy, so this page starts there with the adopted 2025-26 rates. Everything that varies by household is labelled as an estimate, not a published figure.
Property tax rates for 2025-26
Every property in the county pays the county rate. If the home sits inside town limits, the town rate is added on top. Homes in unincorporated Moore County pay the county rate only, plus any fire district charge.
Moore County (all property) is taxed at $0.29 per $100 of valuation. Adopted county rate for FY2025-26.
| Town | Town rate | Combined with county | Yearly tax on a $400,000 home | Yearly tax on a $600,000 home | Yearly tax on a $900,000 home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinehurst | $0.225 | $0.515 | $2,060 | $3,090 | $4,635 |
| Southern Pines | $0.29 | $0.58 | $2,320 | $3,480 | $5,220 |
| Aberdeen | $0.42 | $0.71 | $2,840 | $4,260 | $6,390 |
| Carthage | $0.505 | $0.795 | $3,180 | $4,770 | $7,155 |
| Cameron | $0.575 | $0.865 | $3,460 | $5,190 | $7,785 |
Rates are per $100 of assessed valuation. Sample bills are simple arithmetic on those rates and exclude fire district, solid waste, and municipal service fees. Whispering Pines, Foxfire, Pinebluff set their own municipal rates, which are not published here because they have not been confirmed from an official source — ask and I will pull the current figure for a specific address.
What the tax rate does not tell you
A low rate on a high valuation can cost more than a high rate on a modest one. Aberdeen carries the highest municipal rate of the towns above and still produces some of the lowest yearly bills, because in-town home prices are lower. Pinehurst has the lowest rate and often the largest bill.
- Assessed value, not your purchase price, drives the bill. Check the county's record for the exact home.
- Homes outside town limits skip the municipal rate but usually rely on well and septic, which changes inspection and maintenance costs.
- Golf, lake, and gated communities add dues or club fees that are separate from taxes and vary widely by community.
Want your own number?
I will run the real figures for a specific address
Send me an address or a price range and I will come back with the assessed value, the combined rate, any community dues I know of, and the utilities that serve that street — so your budget is built on real numbers rather than averages.