Washington-Arlington-Alexandria → Raleigh-Cary

Moving from Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to Raleigh-Cary shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 108.9 to 98.2 (100 = US average), so a Washington-Arlington-Alexandria salary needs to be multiplied by 0.90 to hold the same purchasing power in Raleigh-Cary. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $2,246/month in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to $1,750/month in Raleigh-Cary - a lower monthly bill of $496, or $5,952/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 $82,744 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria versus $68,693 in Raleigh-Cary - a raw gap of $14,051 lower. The Raleigh-Cary labor market has 725,130 tracked jobs against 3,082,600 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria and Raleigh-Cary are 1015 and 365 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 12.3:1 at origin versus 15.8:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $25,480/year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria versus $9,487/year in Raleigh-Cary. Our composite verdict - Favorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.