Is Matthews NC a Good Place to Live? The Tradeoffs to Weigh

Is Matthews NC a good place to live? Yes, for a buyer who wants an established town with a real downtown about 19 minutes from Uptown Charlotte without traffic, and who can live with a Mecklenburg County tax bill and older houses: homes in Matthews sold for a median $479,772, or $233.80 a square foot, from July through September 2026, according to Steve Jarrell, Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, using Redfin Data Center figures. That’s a little under Charlotte’s $236.68 a square foot.

There’s a good chance Matthews made your list because someone described it as the small town with the easy drive into Charlotte. It’s true that the drive is short and the downtown is real. What may surprise you is the price: by the square foot, a Matthews house costs about what a Charlotte house does, and the bigger money question sits about 9 minutes away in Indian Trail, where the combined tax rate is about a fifth lower.

13 min read | By Steve Jarrell, The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty | Updated October 2026

What This Guide Covers

• Is Matthews NC a good place to live?
• What does a house in Matthews cost, and what are you paying for?
• The tax bill is where the county line shows up
• Getting around: I-485, US 74 and the train that stops short of Matthews
• Income, home values and the Matthews ZIP codes
• Daily life, the downtown and what the crime data says
• When Matthews is the wrong fit
• Frequently asked questions

Is Matthews NC a good place to live?

Yes, if you go in knowing the trade. Matthews is its own town of 31,666 people, according to the NC Office of State Budget and Management’s July 1, 2025 estimate, sitting entirely in Mecklenburg County on Charlotte’s southeast side. You get a downtown with a Labor Day festival its organizers say goes back nearly 50 years, a 12-mile drive to Uptown (downtown Charlotte), and homes that sold in a median 45 days from July through September. You give up newer construction, and you pay Mecklenburg County’s tax rate instead of Union County’s lower one.

On price, Matthews sits in the middle of its neighbors: its median sale is below Mint Hill’s and above Indian Trail’s.

When a buyer tells me Matthews is on their list, the first thing I check isn’t the price. It’s which side of the county line the house sits on. Inside Matthews, the 2026-2027 county and town rates add up to 77.22 cents per $100 of value; in Indian Trail, a few minutes east in Union County, they add up to 60.42. On a $500,000 assessed value that’s $840 a year, or $8,400 over ten years at today’s rates, so I’d rather you choose that trade on purpose than find it on your first bill.

What does a house in Matthews cost, and what are you paying for?

A typical Matthews house sold for $479,772 from July through September 2026, according to Redfin’s Data Center, which was 4.43% below the same three months of 2025. Charlotte’s median over the same window was $419,800, so the Matthews median runs $59,972 higher. Per square foot, though, the order flips: Matthews sold for $233.80 and Charlotte for $236.68. That points to bigger houses at the median rather than a markup for the address.

That changes how you read a listing. If you’re coming from a city where a suburb with a downtown carries a price premium by the foot, Matthews doesn’t, at least not against Charlotte. You’re likely paying for more house. Mint Hill’s median over the same window was higher, at $524,750, while Indian Trail’s was $462,280 and Stallings’ was $447,287.

Speed matters too. Matthews homes sold in a median 45 days in that window, four days slower than a year earlier, against 58 days in Charlotte and 59 in Mint Hill. Matthews sold 100 homes over those three months. A 45-day median means half the homes sold in 45 days or less, so have your financing and your short list ready before you tour.

Matthews NC against Charlotte and two east side neighbors: home sales from July 1 to September 30, 2026 (Redfin Data Center) and 2026-2027 combined property tax rates (Mecklenburg County tax rate chart; Union County and Town of Indian Trail)

Measure	Matthews	Charlotte	Mint Hill	Indian Trail
Median sale price	$479,772	$419,800	$524,750	$462,280
Median sale price per square foot	$233.80	$236.68	$223.38	$191.93
Median days on market	45	58	59	53
Combined tax rate per $100 of value	77.22 cents	78.57 cents	71.77 cents	60.42 cents
Yearly tax on a $500,000 assessed value	$3,861	$3,928.50	$3,588.50	$3,021

The tax bill is where the county line shows up

Inside Matthews you pay Mecklenburg County’s 49.27 cents plus the town’s 27.95 cents, a combined 77.22 cents per $100 of assessed value for 2026-2027, according to the Mecklenburg County tax rate chart. That’s close to Charlotte’s 78.57 cents and above Mint Hill’s 71.77. On a $500,000 assessed value, the Matthews bill comes to $3,861 a year before any fees.

Cross into Union County and the math moves. Union County’s total rate stayed at 43.42 cents for 2026-27, as The Charlotte Weekly reported in June, and Indian Trail adds 17 cents, according to the town’s revenue page. That’s 60.42 cents combined, or $3,021 on the same $500,000, which is $840 a year less than Matthews.

Two things keep that from being the whole story. First, these examples use a $500,000 assessed value; your bill uses the county’s assessed value for your parcel, which can differ from what you pay. Second, a Matthews ZIP code doesn’t always mean a Matthews tax bill. Our guide to the Matthews ZIP codes shows how much of ZIP 28104 is really in Union County.

Getting around: I-485, US 74 and the train that stops short of Matthews

From downtown Matthews, Uptown Charlotte is about 12 miles and 19 minutes away with no traffic, SouthPark (Charlotte’s big shopping and office district) about 18 minutes, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport about 39 minutes, measured with the OSRM routing service on OpenStreetMap roads. Those are best-case times. Matthews workers averaged 25.2 minutes to work in the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, almost the same as Mecklenburg County’s 25.1.

The big road change came this year. The I-485 Express Lanes (toll lanes on Charlotte’s outer beltway) opened to traffic on Saturday, Feb. 28, adding one lane each way for about 17 miles between I-77 and US 74, WRHI reported. The project also covers improvements at the East John Street interchange in Matthews, according to NCDOT. If you’d be driving toward Ballantyne or the south end of the county, our I-485 toll guide for Ballantyne and Matthews runs the numbers.

Then there’s the train. The proposed Silver Line light rail is slated to run from the airport to Bojangles Coliseum, and bringing it to Central Piedmont Community College in Matthews would cost an additional $2.4 billion, WFAE reported in March 2026. WFAE also reported that getting the line all the way to Matthews would require a new quarter-cent sales tax. If a rail commute is part of your plan, plan around the car for now.

One more number worth knowing: 18.0% of Matthews workers worked from home in that same survey, against 28.5% countywide. A larger share of your neighbors commute than in the county as a whole, so drive US 74 (Independence Boulevard, the main road from Matthews into Charlotte) at rush hour before you decide.

Income, home values and the Matthews ZIP codes

The median household income in Matthews is $108,611, according to Steve Jarrell, Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, citing the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey through Census Reporter. That’s about 25 percent above Mecklenburg County’s $87,005 and well above North Carolina’s $72,388. The survey’s margin of error on the Matthews figure is $9,129, so read it as a range rather than a point.

Home values follow the same order. The survey puts the median value of an owner-occupied Matthews home at $445,100, against $406,800 for Mecklenburg County and $288,900 for the state. Owners occupy 64.4% of the town’s occupied homes, and 61.9% of its housing units are detached single-family houses, against 54.8% countywide.

Now the ZIP codes, because a Matthews address and the Town of Matthews aren’t the same thing. In the Census Bureau’s 2020 ZIP-to-town relationship file, 97.46% of the town’s land is in ZIP 28105, 2.42% is in 28104 and 0.11% is in 28270. Read the other way, 28105 is about 72% inside the town, while only 1.40% of 28104’s land is inside Matthews. Most of 28104’s land, about 97%, is in Union County, in towns such as Weddington, Stallings and Indian Trail, or in no town at all.

So before you trust a listing’s city line, check the parcel. About 72% of 28105’s land is inside the town and about 1% of 28104’s is, and which side of the town line a house falls on decides whether it pays the Matthews town tax rate.

Daily life, the downtown and what the crime data says

Downtown Matthews is also home to Matthews Alive, a Labor Day weekend festival spread over four days, with a parade, a carnival, a food court and performances. The organizers say on the Matthews Alive site that it continues nearly 50 years of tradition, draws over 100,000 visitors a year and has contributed more than $2.2 million to the local community. This year’s dates were set for September 4 to 7, 2026.

Then there are schools. Matthews is in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, so look up any house you’re serious about with the district’s Find My School tool to see which schools serve that address.

If safety is on your list, here is what the FBI’s numbers show. In 2024 the Matthews Police Department reported 58 violent offenses to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, a rate of about 185 per 100,000 residents, roughly half of North Carolina’s rate of about 383. It also reported 836 property offenses, about 2,661 per 100,000, roughly a third above the state’s 2,008. You can pull the same report for any town you’re comparing.

Then there’s the age of the houses. The Census Bureau puts the median year built for Matthews homes at 1994, three years older than Mecklenburg County’s 1997. About half the homes in town are 30 years old or more, so check the age of the roof and the heating system on any house you tour. In Indian Trail the median year built is 2004.

Before you write an offer on a Matthews house, I’d do three things. Look at the year it was built and price in the roof, the HVAC and the windows, because about half the homes in town date to 1994 or earlier. Drive from the house to I-485 or US 74 at the hour you’d actually leave. And if you’re picturing a train into Uptown, plan on the car: the Silver Line is slated to end at Bojangles Coliseum, and reaching Matthews would take another $2.4 billion.

When Matthews is the wrong fit

Skip Matthews if a brand-new house is the point. Half the homes in Matthews were built in 1994 or earlier, while Union County’s median home dates to 2000 and Indian Trail’s to 2004.

It’s also the wrong fit if the lowest tax bill on a given value is the deciding factor. At 77.22 cents, Matthews sits 16.80 cents above Indian Trail’s 60.42, and you can be across that line in a few minutes.

And it’s the wrong fit if you were counting on a train: the planned Silver Line doesn’t reach Matthews, and extending it would take a new quarter-cent sales tax, WFAE reported.

If none of those three is a dealbreaker, Matthews gives you a real downtown, a price per square foot in line with Charlotte’s, and Uptown about 19 minutes away when the roads are clear. For the longer list of pros and cons, start with our full pros and cons of Matthews and the Matthews community page, or compare it with every town we cover in the South Charlotte communities hub.

Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Matthews NC

Is Matthews NC a good place to live?

Yes, for a buyer who wants an established town with a real downtown about 19 minutes from Uptown Charlotte without traffic: homes in Matthews sold for a median $479,772, or $233.80 a square foot, from July through September 2026, according to Steve Jarrell, Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, using Redfin Data Center figures. The tradeoffs are a 77.22-cent combined tax rate for 2026-2027 and a median year built of 1994.

Is Matthews NC safe?

Look at the data for yourself. In 2024 the Matthews Police Department reported 58 violent offenses to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, about 185 per 100,000 residents, roughly half of North Carolina’s rate. It reported 836 property offenses, about 2,661 per 100,000, roughly a third above the state’s rate of about 2,008.

Is Matthews NC in Mecklenburg or Union County?

The Town of Matthews is entirely in Mecklenburg County, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020 place-by-county list. The confusion comes from ZIP code 28104, which has only 1.40% of its land inside the town; most of 28104 is in Union County.

How far is Matthews NC from Charlotte?

Downtown Matthews is about 12 miles from Uptown Charlotte, roughly 19 minutes with no traffic. Matthews workers averaged 25.2 minutes to work in the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, and the I-485 Express Lanes, open since February 28, 2026, run about 17 miles from US 74 to I-77.

Is Matthews NC expensive to live in?

It costs more than Charlotte at the median and about the same by the square foot. Matthews homes sold for a median $479,772 and $233.80 a square foot from July through September 2026, against Charlotte’s $419,800 and $236.68, per Redfin’s Data Center. The median household income is $108,611, against Mecklenburg County’s $87,005, in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey.

What ZIP code is Matthews NC?

The Town of Matthews is almost all ZIP 28105, which holds 97.46% of its land in the Census Bureau’s 2020 relationship file. A small slice is in 28104 and a sliver in 28270. Only 1.40% of 28104’s land is inside the town, so check the parcel before you assume Matthews taxes.

About the Author

I’m Steve Jarrell, a licensed North Carolina and South Carolina broker and the Team Lead of The Longleaf Group at eXp Realty, which I co-lead with my wife Amanda. Before real estate, I joined VisualTour as President, led its rebrand to Paradym, and led the company to its acquisition by Constellation Software in 2020. I hold an MBA from the University of Tennessee with concentrations in Marketing and Innovation. The Longleaf Group is an eXp ICON Team and a RealTrends Verified Top Team by Volume for 2026, with 170+ five-star reviews.

I live in Weddington, in Union County, and I sell homes in Matthews and the towns around it every week. If you’d like a second opinion on a specific Matthews address, call me at 704-774-7170.