Raleigh, NC vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $860 a month in Raleigh.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $860: Seattle is higher at $2,549 versus $1,689.
North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 2.5 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.17 percentage points, higher in Washington.
After a move from North Carolina to Washington, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Raleigh lines up with about $84,915 in Seattle on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Raleigh
Raleigh-Cary, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,689
- HUD area
- Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,674
- All-items price parity
- 98.2
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 89.0
- Mean commute
- 27.4 min
- Median household income
- $102,144
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$84,915
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$82,577
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$113,188
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | North Carolina | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 3.99% flat | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.0% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.61% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,455 a year in North Carolina and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in North Carolina and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
WIC
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
School meals
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
LIHEAP
RaleighMaybe
SeattleMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
RaleighUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
RaleighLikely eligible
SeattleLikely eligible
SSI
RaleighUnlikely
SeattleUnlikely
| Program | Raleigh | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Raleigh
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Raleigh.
- Raleigh and San Francisco · rent gap $2,008
- Raleigh and San Jose · rent gap $1,583
- Raleigh and Boston · rent gap $1,319
- Raleigh and New York · rent gap $1,282
- Raleigh and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,275
- Raleigh and San Diego · rent gap $1,134
- Raleigh and Miami · rent gap $875
- Raleigh and Urban Honolulu · rent gap $853
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.