on $100k a year, leaving Sacramento
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
under Sacramento, every month
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
25% cheaper than Sacramento(vs $2,226/mo)
4.5%
$400/mo less in state tax than Sacramento
vs 9.3% in Sacramento
$6,295/mo
$963 more than Sacramento
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$440k
25% cheaper than Sacramento
vs $589k in Sacramento
1.5M
vs 2.4M in Sacramento
field notes, weather & such.
201
pleasant days a year, in raleigh.
Sacramento has the edge here, logging 211 pleasant days a year.
But the calendar thins out: Sacramento stays 1.8× busier.
58/100
23% lower than Sacramento
vs 75/100 in Sacramento
Closest outdoor draw: William B. Umstead State Park, 9.9 mi.
97/100
1% lower than Sacramento
vs 98/100 in Sacramento
39
39% more than Sacramento
vs 28 nonstops in Sacramento
cities that play in raleigh's register:
