Cost of Living in Raleigh, NC

Are you interested in learning more about the cost of living in Raleigh, NC? Living costs are all the expenses we need for our everyday life. They include groceries, rent, gas prices, and more. In this article, we look at the cost of living in Raleigh NC. We break the costs down into six essential categories. We then compare the total living cost to the average salary. This will tell you how much you need to earn to live in Raleigh.

Continue reading to find out if you can live comfortably in Raleigh, North Carolina.

GUIDE TO COST OF LIVING IN RALEIGH, NC

The cost of living in Raleigh, NC depends on many factors. These factors include:

• Renting and/or buying fees

• Utilities

• Food and groceries

• Clothing costs

• Healthcare costs

• Education fees

• Transportation costs

• Entertainment

It would be easy to shrug off entertainment costs when calculating your budget. But humans need interaction and some excitement. Life would be dull without some form of recreation.

Let’s dive into these categories to see how expensive (or cheap) Raleigh is.

Housing

Renting in Raleigh

Renting is always a good option when relocating to a new city. It gives you a chance to get to know the city a little better.

If you’re moving on your own an expensive, one-bedroom apartment is $1,179. A cheap one-bedroom apartment is $784. Depending on your budget, a cheaper apartment might be best.

You could opt to share an apartment too. If you have a partner or a couple of friends, a three-bedroom apartment could work out well. An expensive three-bedroom apartment is around $1,1667 a month, while a cheaper three-bedroom would be $1,255 a month.

Sharing an apartment with others could help mitigate your living costs.

Buying Property in Raleigh

When it comes to buying property in Raleigh, you need to be sure of your budget.

The average home value for Raleigh is $248,300. This is more than the national average of $217,500. This might seem a lot, but it’s still 64.55% lower than a big city like San Francisco.

Despite all this, you need to consider that the neighborhood plays a big factor in price.

Buying an apartment in the city center would cost about $4,096 a month. But buying a house in the suburbs would be roughly $1,592 a month.

While the median house cost is $248,300, there are more and less expensive neighborhoods.

Glenwood, which is the entertainment district, has an average house cost of $619,129. This is much more expensive than a house in Zebulon which has an average cost of $111,100.

Utilities

The cost of utilities goes hand-in-hand with the cost of housing. It can sometimes be difficult to remember that they are different things.

The cost of living in Raleigh, NC includes utilities like electricity, water, etc. But utilities can include things like Internet and mortgage too.

The utility cost for one person living in Raleigh is $101. This increases to $156 for a family of four. The mortgage interest is about 3.59% over 20-years.

An unlimited Internet plan is about $60 a month for 50 Mbps. This is ideal for anyone working from home.

Food and Groceries

Groceries are one of the biggest contributors to the cost of living in Raleigh, NC. The cost of food and groceries in Raleigh is 13% more than the national average.

Groceries cost about $473 a month for one person and $1,246 for a family of four.

Milk is $2.20 a gallon, bread is $3.77, and a carton of eggs costs $1.87. Filet chicken is $4.22 a pound and steak is $6 a pound.

Fruit and vegetables are between $1 and $2 a pound. The oranges are quite expensive, at $2.68 a pound.

A bottle of wine is $13.4 while beer is $3.13 and you can get a Coca-Cola/Pepsi for $1.74.

Eating out

Eating out can be quite expensive, but it doesn’t hurt to treat yourself once in a while.

And what happens if you forget to pack lunch for work? It’s good to factor these things into your budget before relocating.

A lunch meal costs $15 on average. And you could always get something cheap at MacDonald’s for $8 instead. Craving a fresh brew with your lunch? No worries – it’s only $4.3 cappuccino.

What about date night or drinks with friends? Dinner for two at a restaurant is, on average, $60. You also won’t pay more than $6 for a beer at a pub.

Most bars and restaurants are located on Greenwood South/North Hills. This is considered Raleigh’s ‘entertainment district’.

Clothing

Clothing in Raleigh is below the national average. Branded jeans are $41.30, branded sneakers are $79.1, and a summer dress is $35.57.

Of course, these are average costs. There are cheaper clothing stores around too.

Healthcare

You can’t calculate the cost of living in Raleigh, NC without looking at the healthcare costs. The cost of healthcare in Raleigh is 3% more than the national average.

Getting cold medicine at the store would be around $9.21 for a week’s supply. A doctor’s visit is $143.17 while it’s $99 to see the dentist.

The optometrist is less than the doctor at $99.99, and a visit to the vet could cost you $54,82.

These fees are more than the national average, they are still less than bigger cities.

Education and Childcare

If you have kids, education and childcare play a huge role in your cost of living in Raleigh, NC. There are 98 public schools and 54 private schools in Raleigh.

The average tuition fee for a private school is $12,355 a year. Public schools are much less than this.

If you have very young children, you’ll probably need daycare or preschool. These fees are around $1,124 a month.

Art Program

The Pullen Arts Center is a place for artists of all ages. It’s a facility for visual arts education that caters to the entire community.

They have programs for teens, adults, and seniors alike. Programs include drawing, painting, pottery, and even jewelry.

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro with years of experience, there’s a place for you here. They also have an art gallery where they showcase pieces from the local community.

If you’re part of their program, your piece could end up in the gallery too.

Youth Center

The Saint Monica Teen Center is free for youth between 13 and 19-years-old.

The center has a teen lounge where they can relax or socialize.

There’s a technology room with 16 computers and all the works, including Wi-Fi. It even has a projector. This is great for teens who don’t have access to a computer or internet for school projects.

There’s a fitness/dance room as well. It has a full dance mirror and a reinforced floor.

This is a safe and fun space for teens. It keeps them out of trouble after school and encourages healthy social interaction.

Transportation

Whether you have a car or need to use public transport, it’s good to have all the facts.

Transportation fees play a big role in the cost of living in Raleigh, NC. Gas is $2.60 a gallon, which is 72% less than San Francisco. Of course, if you have a car that’s heavy on the gas, this could still amount to a lot.

Public transport is a viable traveling option in Raleigh. A local bus ticket is $1.25 one way and a monthly bus ticket is $47.4.

A taxi ride is about $2.25 a mile. This is certainly more expensive than a bus ticket, but you’ll get there faster.

A single person could expect to spend up to $84.1 on transportation a month. For a family of four, this number increases to $226 a month.

Entertainment

When considering the cost of living in Raleigh, NC, you need to look at recreation too. Gym memberships are around $35.33 a month and cinema tickets are $10.25 each.

But Raleigh has more to offer than that. There are over 103 parks/playgrounds to keep kids entertained. There are also six nature reserves, eight dog parks, and five lakes.

Millbrook Exchange Park

Millbrook Exchange Park has tons of activities for everyone. The community center has a large gym that can be rented for $85 an hour. There is also a Fitness Center with a $12 monthly pass.

There are Tennis Courts that can be rented at $10.50 an hour, too.

They have an indoor and outdoor pool as well. It’s open Monday to Saturday. They offer swimming lessons and water exercise classes.

The exercise classes are $8 for one and $40 for 8 classes.

Pullen Park

There is a playground and an amusement area for kids. The amusement area has a carousel, miniature train, pedal boats, and kiddies boats. Each ride requires a ticket at $1.50.

Other features include pools, tennis courts, athletic fields, and a cafe. The community center can be rented for meetings or events.

There are covered shelters too. You can rent for events like birthday parties or even picnics. Rentals are from $30 and up, depending on the size of the shelter.

Raleigh Beer Garden

This is the largest Beer Garden in the world. There are over 350 different beers on tap. The Beer Garden is located in the entertainment district of Glenwood South.

It has ample outdoor seating including a rooftop area. They also offer a full menu which includes specialty pizzas.

Salaries in Raleigh

You need to know the average salary to determine if you can survive the cost of living in Raleigh, NC.  The average yearly salary in Raleigh is $58,898. This is much less than San Francisco’s average of $75,602.

Here are the average salaries for the most popular job fields.

• Human Resource Manager – $124,000

• Mechanical Engineer – $108,000

• Web Developer – $95,000

• Registered Nurse – $81,000

• Accountant – $79,000

Raleigh has booming IT and Medical fields, and only a 4% unemployment rate. The upward mobility rate is 38.4% which is quite low.

A web developer in Raleigh who earns $95,000 would need to earn more in a bigger city. To maintain the same standard of living in San Francisco, you would need $161,200. And when comparing that to New York, you would need $172,976.

Bigger cities have a higher cost of living but also higher average salaries.

Can You Live on $58,898 in Raleigh?

Yes, you can live on $58,898 in Raleigh. The total cost of living in Raleigh, NC is $2,134 a month for one person.

This doesn’t include education fees. But, if you do have kids, the total cost of living could be over $4,000 a month.

The average monthly salary is $4,627. Assuming there are no emergencies, you’ll have enough for some entertainment each month.

The total cost of living for a family of four is $7,021 a month. If you have a combined household salary of $117,796, you can live comfortably in Raleigh.

You will have enough funds left over for entertainment or emergencies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Relocating might seem like a big task. But knowing the cost of living in Raleigh, NC will remove some of the uncertainty.

If you are planning a move to Raleigh, NC in the near future you may want to consider partnering with a moving company that can help remove the stress that is commonly associated with moving. When you work with a team of professional movers in Raleigh, you will enjoy a seamless moving experience from start to finish. The team here at Miracle Movers of Raleigh will be more than happy to make sure your transition to Raleigh is simple and executed in a safe and efficient manner. If you are interested in working with the number one moving company in Raleigh, contact us today by giving us a call or filling out an online contact form. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you.