Cities Similar to Raleigh, NC
The top 10 most similar cities based on cost of living, home prices, rent, population, and region.
Cities similar to Raleigh, NC
1. Lexington-Fayette urban county, KY
320,154 people · Southeast
COL Index
N/A
Home Price
N/A
Rent
N/A
2. Durham, NC
324,833 people · Southeast
COL Index
100.0
Home Price
$411K
Rent
$1,150/mo
4. Charlotte, NC
874,579 people · Southeast
COL Index
97.0
Home Price
$399K
Rent
$1,100/mo
5. St. Petersburg, FL
263,553 people · Southeast
COL Index
N/A
Home Price
$333K
Rent
N/A
6. Virginia Beach, VA
459,470 people · Southeast
COL Index
103.0
Home Price
$447K
Rent
$1,100/mo
7. New Orleans, LA
383,997 people · Southeast
COL Index
96.0
Home Price
$223K
Rent
$950/mo
How We Find Cities Similar to Raleigh
Our similarity algorithm compares Raleigh, NC against every other city in our database across multiple dimensions: cost of living index, median home price, average rent, population size, and geographic region. Each factor is weighted and normalized, then combined into a single similarity score from 0–100%.
Cities with high similarity scores share a comparable financial profile to Raleigh — meaning your dollar goes about as far, housing costs are in the same ballpark, and the overall lifestyle cost is similar. This is useful if you love Raleigh but want to explore other options with a similar feel and price point, or if you’re relocating and want to understand which cities offer a comparable standard of living.
Click on any city in the results to see a detailed cost of living comparison, including category-by-category breakdowns for housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and more. You can also adjust the search to find cities similar to any location in the United States.