City comparison
Raleigh, NC is about 40 miles (70 km) from Wilson, NC in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 50 miles, or about 51 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Raleigh, NC to Wilson, NC takes about 5 min, covering roughly 40 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Raleigh has a population of 465,517, vs 47,767 in Wilson — about 9.7× larger by population. By land area, Raleigh covers about 150 sq mi vs 32 sq mi for Wilson.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Raleigh | Wilson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,371/mo | $864/mo | 58.7% higher in Raleigh |
| Median home value | $347,000 | $167,400 | 107.3% higher in Raleigh |
| Median household income | $78,631 | $46,891 | 67.7% higher in Raleigh |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 96.8 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 89.5 | 89.0 | 0.6% higher in Raleigh |
| Transportation index | 98.4 | 98.4 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.9 | 97.9 | ≈ 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 Raleigh, you'd need $80,120 in Wilson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Wilson, NC is about 19.9% cheaper overall than Raleigh, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 82% higher in Raleigh than in Wilson. If you earn $80,000 in Raleigh, you'd need about $64,096 in Wilson to keep the same standard of living.