Housing and tax tradeoff: Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina comes out ahead here on rent burden and rent. This only compares rent burden, rent, home price, and estimated state tax burden; it is not a total cost-of-living ranking.
Demand-Backed Comparison
Compare Durham vs Raleigh on cost, climate, safety, and daily life
People have logged this comparison 12 times on WhyThere. The cards open full city pages. The charts and matrix below are the fast side-by-side read on housing, climate, walkability, safety, schools, parks, and day-to-day tradeoffs.
DurhamRaleigh
What Stands Out
A quick read on this comparison
Deterministic summaries based on the data in view.
Biggest tradeoff: Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina is the sharpest split in this comparison: strong on affordability, weaker on safety.
Comparison Matrix
| City | ||
|---|---|---|
| Route | ||
| General Info | ||
| Population | 257,636 | 482,295 |
| Center Elevation | 404 ft(123 m) | 315 ft(96 m) |
| Housing & Wealth | ||
| Median Home | $389,648 | $424,925 |
| Median Rent | $1,615 | $1,582 |
| Median Income | $74,710 | $78,631 |
| Rent Burden | 26% | 24% |
| Climate & Risks | ||
| Days with 5+ Hours of Sun | 305 days/yr | 307 days/yr |
| Avg. High | 72°F | 72°F |
| Avg. Low | 52°F | 53°F |
| Comfort Score | 77/100Great | 78/100Great |
| Temp Swing | 39°F | 38°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 49"(124 cm) | 51"(130 cm) |
| Annual Snowfall | 3"(8 cm) | 3"(8 cm) |
| Air Quality | Typical: 452024 modeled avg · 25 days > 100 | Typical: 512024 modeled avg · 24 days > 100 |
| Infrastructure & Lifestyle | ||
| Walkability | 30 | 31 |
| Transit Score | 28 | 29 |
| Safety Score | 58 / 100 | 64 / 100 |
| School Rating | 5.9/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Flood Risk (FEMA) | minimalMinimal Risk | minimalMinimal Risk |
| Central Tract Wildfire Risk | minimalMinimal | minimalMinimal |
| Internet Access | Fiber: 60%Cable: 94% | Fiber: 80%Cable: 96% |
| Demographics | ||
| Median Age | 34.7 years | 34.6 years |
| College Educated | 54% | 53% |
| Remote Workers | 18% | 20% |
| Nature Access | ||
| Local Nature & Reserves | Finding... | Finding... |
| Scouting & Local Help | ||
Housing and local helpA practical next step once someone starts picturing the move. | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Durham. One featured slot per city | Featured Local Partner ADRealtor Realtor spot available For an agent, brokerage, or relocation team that can answer housing questions in Raleigh. One featured slot per city |
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