Madison → Raleigh-Cary
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Madison to Raleigh-Cary is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 97.3 to 98.2 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $555/mo.
- -$3,834
- BLS median salary lower in Raleigh-Cary
- 280 to 365
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 15.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $1,769
- DOL infant care lower / yr in Raleigh-Cary
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - $555/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 97.3 to 98.2 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $555/mo ($6,660/yr) from $1,195 in Madison to $1,750 in Raleigh-Cary.
Madison still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Raleigh-Cary sits #241 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Madison is #107/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,834 lower ($72,527 → $68,693). Labor-market size: 399,040 tracked jobs at origin vs 725,130 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Wisconsin at 57 (D, #32/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 62
- Property tax
- 56
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 40
- Income tax
- 68
- Property tax
- 66
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 30
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Madison to see what you'd need to earn in Raleigh-Cary to maintain the same purchasing power.
Raleigh-Cary metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026