Tour and Travel Guides Salary
In North Carolina, tour and travel guides earn $32,570 at the median, or about $15.66 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $47K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.66), which stretches that salary to about $35,150 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,284/month, about 56.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across North Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $33K get you in North Carolina?
About tour and travel guides
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What this looks like in North Carolina
Pay for tour and travel guides in North Carolina runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $38K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,284/month, which is 57.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.66 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tour and travel guidess.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, North Carolina
Entry-level tour and travel guides (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $33K. Top earners bring in $47K or more, a $24K spread from bottom to top.
Tour and Travel Guides salary by metro in North Carolina
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | $38K | +18% | 200 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $34K | +6% | 120 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $33K | +3% | 300 |
| Raleigh-Cary | $33K | +2% | 250 |
| Greensboro-High Point | $33K | +0% | 100 |
| Wilmington | $33K | +0% | 120 |
| Winston-Salem | $32K | -1% | 80 |
Compare to other states
Track tour and travel guides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when North Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tour and travel guide afford a 2BR apartment alone in North Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $33K, rent takes 57.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,284/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tour and travel guides in North Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tour and travel guides typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,360/month. At HUD’s $1,284/month FMR, rent would take 94% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tour and travel guide a high-paying job in North Carolina?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $33K here vs. $38K nationally. Cost of living is 7% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does North Carolina compare to the national average for tour and travel guides?
North Carolina pays $33K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.66), the purchasing-power equivalent is $35K — below the national median.
How much do tour and travel guides make in North Carolina?
The median is $32,570 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $22,660, and experienced tour and travel guides can clear $47,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $33K enough to live in North Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,229/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,284/month, which eats 57.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tour and travel guides salary go in North Carolina?
North Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 92.66 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tour and travel guides salary is worth about $35,150 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tour and travel guides get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.