What is the median rent in Oak Island, NC?

Name: Median rent in Oak Island, NC, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Oak Island, NC is $1,339 (±$148) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 442 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Oak Island, the median gross rent went from $1,072 in 2015–2019 to $1,339 in 2020–2024 (+24.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,339 (±$148)
Rented homes: 442 (±153)
$2,000 or more: 20.0%
Since 2015–2019: +24.9%

How much rent costs in Oak Island

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Oak Island	Brunswick County	North Carolina	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±9.2 points)	5.2%	6.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	23.8% (±16.9 points)	22.6%	27.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	43.4% (±19.3 points)	33.6%	32.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	12.9% (±10.1 points)	22.8%	21.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	2.5% (±3.9 points)	11.9%	7.8%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	7.5% (±10.5 points)	2.2%	2.2%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	10.0% (±13.0 points)	1.7%	1.8%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 43.4% of renting households.

20.0% of rented homes in Oak Island cost $2,000 or more a month.

Oak Island against Brunswick County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Oak Island	Brunswick County	North Carolina	United States
Median gross rent	$1,339 (±$148)	$1,351 (±$52)	$1,228 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	442 (±153)	9,338 (±832)	1,337,899 (±8,405)	42,849,984

In Oak Island, median gross rent is not measurably different from Brunswick County ($1,351).

It is not measurably different from North Carolina ($1,228).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Brunswick County, Oak Island ranks 8 of 15 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 110 of 586.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Oak Island has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,072 (±$52)	$1,339 (±$148)	+24.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	17.6% (±2.8 points)	10.3% (±3.3 points)	−7.3 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	29.2% (±9.6 points)	70.0% (±8.5 points)	+40.8 percentage points	Measurable increase

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Oak Island

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Oak Island
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Oak Island	—	$1,339 (±$148)	—
Southport	6.5 mi	$1,426 (±$459)	Not measurably different
Varnamtown	6.9 mi	$1,087 (±$181)	Lower
Boiling Spring Lakes	9.4 mi	$1,385 (±$662)	Not measurably different
Bolivia	11 mi	$1,167 (±$291)	Not measurably different
Holden Beach	12 mi	$1,475 (±$359)	Not measurably different
Kure Beach	14 mi	$1,436 (±$265)	Not measurably different
Carolina Beach	15 mi	$1,513 (±$384)	Not measurably different
Shallotte	16 mi	$1,256 (±$152)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Varnamtown, NC ($1,087).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Brunswick County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
2	Belville	$1,798 (±$79)
3	Leland	$1,735 (±$108)
4	Holden Beach	$1,475 (±$359)
5	Southport	$1,426 (±$459)
6	Boiling Spring Lakes	$1,385 (±$662)
7	Calabash	$1,360 (±$105)
8	Oak Island	$1,339 (±$148)
9	Navassa	$1,313 (±$235)
10	Shallotte	$1,256 (±$152)
11	Bolivia	$1,167 (±$291)
12	Varnamtown	$1,087 (±$181)
13	Northwest	$825 (±$529)
14	Sandy Creek	$785 (±$232)

Showing 13 of 15 places in Brunswick County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Oak Island

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Oak Island, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Oak Island beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Oak Island, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Oak Island

What is the average rent in Oak Island, NC?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Oak Island is $1,339 (±$148) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Oak Island?

In Oak Island, the median gross rent went from $1,072 in 2015–2019 to $1,339 in 2020–2024 (+24.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Oak Island cost more than $2,000 a month?

20.0% of rented homes in Oak Island have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Oak Island higher than in Brunswick County?

In Oak Island, median gross rent is not measurably different from Brunswick County ($1,351).

It is not measurably different from North Carolina ($1,228).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Oak Island town, North Carolina (place:48345, in state:37).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.