Is Charleston cheaper than Raleigh?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Charleston and Raleigh metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Charleston or Raleigh?

Raleigh has the higher median household income — $102,144 versus $90,307 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 13% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Charleston or Raleigh?

A paycheck stretches further in Raleigh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $104,062 there versus $89,447 in Charleston.

Which has cheaper rent, Charleston or Raleigh?

Rents are close — $1,714/mo in the Charleston metro versus $1,674/mo in Raleigh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Charleston vs Raleigh

Metro-area medians — Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area vs Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Raleigh comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Charleston and Raleigh cost about the same to live in, but Raleigh households earn about 13% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Raleigh.

Their widest everyday difference: Raleigh is more educated — 52.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 42.2%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Charleston, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$57,844

real value after local prices

Raleigh, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$59,769

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Raleigh leaves you about $1,926/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Charleston

Raleigh

Livability (CityLedger)

67/100

85/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

101.0

98.2

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$89,447

$104,062

Median household income

$90,307

$102,144

Median rent

$1,714/mo

$1,674/mo

Median home value

$430,300

$465,800

Unemployment

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

42.2%

52.5%

Average commute

29.4 min

27.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

67°F

61°F

Choose Charleston for

+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Charleston profile →

Choose Raleigh for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Average commute

Full Raleigh profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Charleston and Raleigh on cost, income, size, and education.

Charleston vs Worcester→Charleston vs Jacksonville→Charleston vs Richmond→Raleigh vs Austin→Raleigh vs Nashville→Raleigh vs Richmond→

Charleston vs Raleigh — frequently asked

Is Charleston cheaper than Raleigh?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Charleston and Raleigh metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Charleston or Raleigh?: Raleigh has the higher median household income — $102,144 versus $90,307 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 13% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Charleston or Raleigh?: A paycheck stretches further in Raleigh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $104,062 there versus $89,447 in Charleston.
Which has cheaper rent, Charleston or Raleigh?: Rents are close — $1,714/mo in the Charleston metro versus $1,674/mo in Raleigh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).