City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Chapel Hill | Raleigh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $1,371/mo | 3.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $347,000 | 54.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $78,631 | 9.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 97.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 91.0 | 90.7 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 98.9 | 98.9 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.2 | 97.2 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need $100,845 in Raleigh to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chapel Hill, NC is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Raleigh, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% lower in Chapel Hill than in Raleigh. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $80,676 in Raleigh to keep the same standard of living.