Raleigh-Cary → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - 16% higher cost of living
- - $583/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Moving from Raleigh-Cary to Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 98.2 to 114.2 (100 = US average), so a Raleigh-Cary salary needs to be multiplied by 1.16 to hold the same purchasing power in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,750/month in Raleigh-Cary to $2,333/month in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach - a higher monthly bill of $583, or $6,996/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $68,693 in Raleigh-Cary versus $68,325 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach - a raw gap of $368 lower. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach labor market has 2,720,630 tracked jobs against 725,130 in Raleigh-Cary, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Raleigh-Cary and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach are 365 and 210 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 15.8:1 at origin versus 17.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $9,487/year in Raleigh-Cary versus $10,505/year in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach. Our composite verdict - Less Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Raleigh-Cary to see what you'd need to earn in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach more expensive than Raleigh-Cary?
What are salaries like in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach compared to Raleigh-Cary?
Is Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach safer than Raleigh-Cary?
How much would I need to earn in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to match my Raleigh-Cary salary?
What does the "Less Favorable" verdict mean?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.