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CityLedger

Durham vs Raleigh

Metro-area medians — Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area vs Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Durham comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Durham and Raleigh cost about the same to live in, but Raleigh households earn about 22% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Raleigh.

Their widest everyday difference: Durham has the tighter job market — 3.2% unemployment versus 3.6%.

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.

Durham, NC
$58,668
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$60,128
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, Durham leaves you about $358/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
Durham
Raleigh
Livability (CityLedger)
70/100
85/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
97.6
98.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$85,621
$104,062
Median household income
$83,542
$102,144
Median rent
$1,598/mo
$1,674/mo
Median home value
$441,300
$465,800
Unemployment
3.2%
3.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
54.7%
52.5%
Average commute
24.4 min
27.4 min
Air quality (median AQI)
51
47
Avg temperature
59°F
61°F

Choose Durham for

  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Durham profile →

Choose Raleigh for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Raleigh profile →

More comparisons

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

Durham vs Madison→Durham vs Fort Collins→Durham vs Ann Arbor→Raleigh vs Austin→Raleigh vs Nashville→Raleigh vs Richmond→

Durham vs Raleigh — frequently asked

Is Durham cheaper than Raleigh?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Durham and Raleigh metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Durham or Raleigh?
Raleigh has the higher median household income — $102,144 versus $83,542 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Durham or Raleigh?
A paycheck stretches further in Raleigh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $104,062 there versus $85,621 in Durham.
Which has cheaper rent, Durham or Raleigh?
Durham has cheaper rent — a median of $1,598/mo versus $1,674/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).