PlainRelocate

Raleigh-Cary → Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Raleigh-Cary to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.2 to 113.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $851/mo.

+$13,583
BLS median salary higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
365 to 477
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
16.1:1 to 20.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$8,433
DOL infant care higher / yr in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

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.

Verdict
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 98.2 → 113.6
Rent Delta: +$851/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $14K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 15% higher cost of living
  • - $851/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 98.2 to 113.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (ratio 1.16). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $851/mo ($10,212/yr) from $1,750 in Raleigh-Cary to $2,601 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.

Raleigh-Cary still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim sits #383 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Raleigh-Cary is #241/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $13,583 higher ($68,693 → $82,276). Labor-market size: 725,130 tracked jobs at origin vs 6,167,970 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Raleigh-Cary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.2
RPP 113.6
Raleigh-Cary
Rent (2BR)
$1,750/mo
$2,601/mo
Raleigh-Cary
Wages
$68,693
$82,276
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Crime
365 per 100K
477 per 100K
Raleigh-Cary
Schools
16.1:1
20.8:1
Raleigh-Cary
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$17,920/yr
Raleigh-Cary
Environment
3120 violations
17705 violations
Raleigh-Cary

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination state · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4

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 Raleigh-Cary to see what you'd need to earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
-
See the reverse: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Raleigh-Cary

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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