Cost of Living in Durham

I have mixed feelings about Durham. It definitely has a great dining options with a lot of independent restaurants that make wonderful food - often dubbed the Foodie capital of the South, I hope they survive the pandemic. There's access to decent shopping, traffic isn't bad compared to much larger areas. The wages here, like most of the US stagnate, 35-40k a year is manageable if you're a household of one but not as easy as other places. It's a mix of people here, many who live in the city and commute between different areas, you have the NC natives which are a mixed bag, the many "yankee" transplants who live here, a good mix of African American, Latino, Asians, and Indians (which helps contribute to the food options here and its general vibe). House prices keep going up here and it is a very competitive market, many of us have had to renew leases when homes go under contract etc. There's a decent cultural scene, but being a classical musician as well as working in another field, that gives me a less than typical outlook on the culture here. It is close to a major airport, which is handy for when I travel, it is close to Raleigh - with the NC Symphony and Convention center, and it is not far from the mountains, the beach, DC, and Atlanta by car comparatively. The numbers are pretty typical here, I'd venture rent averages a bit lower than what they show.