$100k salary, packing up from Los Angeles
changea dispatch from
raleigh
NC
35.78°N
78.64°W
Raleigh is the third leg of the Research Triangle, full of oaks (its nickname is the City of Oaks), state museums that are all free, and a downtown that's grown up fast without losing its quiet edges. NC State pumps young energy in, the food scene is sneaky-good, and the surrounding pine forests make summer evenings smell incredible. Beaches are two hours east, mountains three hours west.
in our guides
the verdict
less monthly outlay than Los Angeles
Raleigh is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,663/mo
43% cheaper than Los Angeles(vs $2,899/mo)
4.5%
$400/mo less in state tax than Los Angeles
vs 9.3% in Los Angeles
$6,295/mo
$1,636 more than Los Angeles
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$440k
57% cheaper than Los Angeles
vs $1029k in Los Angeles
1.5M
vs 12.8M in Los Angeles
field notes, weather & such.
201
pleasant days a year, in raleigh.
Los Angeles gets 283 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.
Lighter on events: Los Angeles packs 7.4× more into a month.
58/100
13% lower than Los Angeles
vs 67/100 in Los Angeles
Closest outdoor draw: William B. Umstead State Park, 9.9 mi.
97/100
1% higher than Los Angeles
vs 96/100 in Los Angeles
39
74% fewer than Los Angeles
vs 150 nonstops in Los Angeles
neighbors of raleigh on the map of tradeoffs:
