| Index | Hillsborough | Raleigh | North Carolina |
| Cost of living | 135 | 111 | 96 |
| Goods & Services | 98 | 98 | 101 |
| Groceries | 101 | 101 | 100 |
| Health care | 116 | 116 | 110 |
| Housing | 224 | 143 | 88 |
| Transportation | 89 | 89 | 94 |
| Utilities | 89 | 89 | 94 |
Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.
| Cost of living index | |
| Goods & Services index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Household | $100,054 | $8,338 | $2,334 | $3,002 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| North Carolina | 4.75% | 7.5% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| North Carolina | 4.75% | 4.75% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| Haircut | $30.19 | $27.62 | 9.3% |
| Beauty Salon | $55.76 | $51.11 | 9.1% |
| Toothpaste | $4.02 | $4.09 | 1.8% |
| Shampoo | $1.72 | $1.54 | 11.5% |
| Movie | $14.42 | $12.88 | 12.0% |
| Yoga | $23.33 | $19.66 | 18.7% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| Ground Beef | $7.67 | $7.70 | 0.5% |
| Fried Chicken | $1.56 | $1.66 | 6.2% |
| Milk | $4.68 | $4.73 | 1.1% |
| Potatoes | $5.56 | $5.26 | 5.8% |
| Pizza | $11.30 | $12.76 | 11.5% |
| Beer | $10.48 | $10.55 | 0.7% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| Optometrist | $112.25 | $140.06 | 19.9% |
| Doctor | $146.67 | $153.82 | 4.6% |
| Dentist | $158.67 | $123.15 | 28.8% |
| Ibuprofen | $12.16 | $11.73 | 3.6% |
| Lipitor | $29.82 | $23.61 | 26.3% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| Home Price | $491,534.00 | $326,622.00 | 50.5% |
| Avg. Mortgage Payment | $2,135.84 | $2,480.25 | 13.9% |
| Apartment Rent | $1,802.00 | $1,444.00 | 24.8% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| Gasoline | $2.90 | $3.06 | 5.2% |
| Tire Balancing | $48.20 | $65.21 | 26.1% |
| Item | Raleigh | National avg. | Difference |
| All Electricity | $185.97 | $220.12 | 15.5% |
| Phone | $190.84 | $195.71 | 2.5% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Clayton, NC | 24,066 | 101 | 1.5% |
| Garner, NC | 31,549 | 104 | 4.2% |
| Knightdale, NC | 17,266 | 105 | 4.9% |
| Durham, NC | 285,434 | 108 | 8.4% |
| Fuquay-Varina, NC | 29,773 | 112 | 12.0% |
| Raleigh, NC | 482,278 | 111 | 10.8% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 481,855 | 115 | 14.9% |
| Long Beach, CA | 480,084 | 162 | 62.5% |
| Miami, FL | 470,437 | 124 | 24.0% |
| Omaha, NE | 494,852 | 94 | 6.4% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 463,341 | 115 | 14.8% |
| Raleigh, NC | 482,278 | 111 | 10.8% |
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