All tools / Turnover costs / Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Apartment turnover cost in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
A typical 2-bedroom apartment turnover in Durham-Chapel Hill runs about $1,125–$3,694 (expected $1,928). That is close to the national figure of $1,960 (-2%).
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- Same scenario, nationally
- $1,960
- North Carolina median
- $1,762
- Data
- BLS OEWS May 2025
What a turnover costs in Durham-Chapel Hill, by unit size
Expected cost of a make-ready turn for five common unit types, under three move-out conditions. The typical column also shows the likely range.
| Unit | Light | Typical | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio1 bath | $785 | $1,391$770 to $2,792 | $3,800 |
| 1 bedroom1 bath | $785 | $1,597$918 to $3,149 | $4,858 |
| 2 bedroom1 bath | $840 | $1,928$1,125 to $3,694 | $6,069 |
| 3 bedroom2 bath | $952 | $2,399$1,419 to $4,520 | $7,568 |
| 3 bedroom house2 bath | $998 | $2,721$1,643 to $5,112 | $8,778 |
- LightMove-out in good shape: a few nail holes and scuffs, a dirty range and refrigerator, one bent blind.
- TypicalA full repaint, spot-treated carpet stains, a hole in an interior door, bent blinds, torn screens, dirty grout, range and refrigerator.
- HeavyPet-damaged carpet replaced, many wall holes and a full repaint, heavy-soil cleaning, odor treatment, a trash-out, a replaced door, missing keys and damaged cabinet doors (plus yard debris for the house).
Every scenario also carries the standard turn baseline: cleaning by bedroom and bathroom, HVAC filter, alarm test, bulbs, rekeying the exterior locks, a pest inspection and the final punch walk. Standard profile, property-manager vendor pricing, built in 2005, typical unit sizes assumed.
Local labor by trade
Labor is mixed in Durham-Chapel Hill: 6 trades cost less than the national median and 3 cost more. The widest gap is window glass, 17% below the national median. 2 more are within 1% of national. 2 of the 13 trade groups have no published figure for this area and are priced at the national median.
Cheaper than national
- Window glass17% below
- Electrical6% below
- Hauling and trash-out6% below
Pricier than national
- Locksmith3% above
- Pest control3% above
- Cleaning2% above
Index is the local median hourly wage divided by the national median for the same occupations. Only the labor share of each price is scaled; materials are not.
| Trade | Index | Versus national median |
|---|---|---|
| Locksmithrekeying and keys | 1.03 | 3% above |
| Pest controlinspection and treatment | 1.03 | 3% above |
| Cleaningturn cleans and carpet cleaning | 1.02 | 2% above |
| Handyman and maintenancesmall repairs, blinds, alarms, final walk | 0.99 | 1% below |
| Yard and landscapingmowing and yard cleanup | 0.99 | 1% below |
| HVACservice visits | 0.97 | 3% below |
| Electricallicensed electrical work | 0.94 | 6% below |
| Hauling and trash-outtrash-out and bulky items | 0.94 | 6% below |
| Paintingrepaints and touch-up | 0.94 | 6% below |
| Plumbinglicensed plumbing work | 0.94 | 6% below |
| Window glassglass replacement | 0.83 | 17% below |
| Appliance repairappliance repair and install | 1.00 | No BLS figure; national median used |
| Drywalldrywall visit charges | 1.00 | No BLS figure; national median used |
| Flooringcarpet and plank installation | 1.00 | No BLS figure; national median used |
* Does not scale any task price. It only sets the visit minimum, so it is left out of the comparisons above.
Unit prices for common make-ready tasks in Durham-Chapel Hill
What one unit of each task costs here, before any vendor visit minimum. Materials are included.
| Task | Low | Expected | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repaint all wallsper floor sq ft | $0.52 | $0.81 | $1.33 |
| Carpet replacement with padper sq ft | $2.25 | $3.25 | $5.00 |
| Standard turn clean, kitchen and living areasper unit | $56.05 | $81.52 | $122.28 |
| Rekey a lock cylinderper cylinder | $15.45 | $25.75 | $46.35 |
| Trash-out and haul-awayper cu yd | $28.20 | $37.60 | $56.40 |
| Drywall patch, doorknob-size holeeach | $59.40 | $108.90 | $198.00 |
| Replace window blindseach | $16.92 | $35.82 | $94.53 |
| Replace a smoke alarmeach | $21.52 | $35.58 | $83.76 |
| Replace an HVAC filtereach | $9.70 | $19.11 | $41.33 |
How Durham-Chapel Hill compares
It is the most expensive of the 18 areas we price in North Carolina. A typical 2-bedroom turn there ranges from $1,643 in Jacksonville to $1,928 in Durham-Chapel Hill, with a median of $1,762. Durham-Chapel Hill is 9% above it. Nationally the same scenario comes to $1,960.
| Area | Typical 2 bedroom | Versus national |
|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $1,928 | -2% |
| Raleigh-Cary | $1,879 | -4% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $1,866 | -5% |
| Asheville | $1,822 | -7% |
| Western North Carolinanonmetropolitan area | $1,786 | -9% |
| 12 more areas not shown | ||
| Jacksonville | $1,643 | -16% |
| National figure | $1,960 | baseline |
Typical 2-bedroom turn, expected cost. Areas are ordered from most to least expensive within the state.
Notes for Durham-Chapel Hill
- Older buildings. Rental units built before 1978 need lead-safe work practices when paint is disturbed (EPA RRP). For the typical 2-bedroom scenario that adds about $1,034 in Durham-Chapel Hill, taking the expected total from $1,928 to $2,962. Enter the year built in the estimator to include it.
- Trades priced at the national median. BLS suppressed or did not publish wages here for appliance repair and flooring. Tasks in those trades use national prices, so they will not reflect Durham-Chapel Hill conditions.
- ZIP codes. The estimator maps ZIP prefixes 277xx to this area. ZIP lookup works at the 3-digit level, so a ZIP at the edge of Durham-Chapel Hill may be priced at a neighbouring area.
- Price level. Figures assume a property manager buying turns from local vendors (the estimator's default). A one-off owner hiring a single contractor typically pays more; a portfolio contract pays less.
Method and data
Every figure was computed by the same engine behind the free estimator and the API (ruleset pt-2026.10.3). National unit prices from published cost guides and bids are scaled by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage index for the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area (OEWS May 2025). These are estimate ranges for budgeting, not quotes (read the disclaimer). How the estimate works.
We keep an anonymized record of estimates (ZIP3, unit size, findings and totals; never your notes, address, IP or contact details) to improve accuracy.
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