2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$119,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+19.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,299
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$11,592
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$12,891/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Raleigh-Cary, NC

COL 136.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,624
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,075
Target Market
Destination Location

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Parity Income $119,400
Federal Income Tax -$17,438
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,134
State Income Tax -$5,750
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,078
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,862

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.4% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Raleigh-Cary, NC, so $100,000 in Raleigh goes about as far as $119,400 in Boston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,552 a month in Raleigh and $2,518 in Boston, $11,592 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,299 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $12,891 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,990 in Raleigh and $66,620 in Boston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Raleigh-Cary (Monthly) Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,552$2,518+$966+62.2%
Food & Groceries$382$418+$36+9.4%
Transportation$1,109$1,080-$29-2.6%
Healthcare$451$413-$38-8.4%
Other Necessities$595$832+$237+39.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$2,133+$108+5.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$966/mo (62.2%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,552/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,319/mo (78.1%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,689/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.84/hr (19.4%)
Raleigh-Cary: $30.13/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$7.01/hr (28.7%)
Raleigh-Cary: $24.42/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Raleigh-Cary Median Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,940$133,800+$18,860 (+16.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,830$106,180+$21,350 (+25.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,770$166,090+$33,320 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,950$100,150+$18,200 (+22.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,820$135,640+$38,820 (+40.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,280$114,990+$12,710 (+12.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,960$214,960+$41,000 (+23.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$163,130$209,780+$46,650 (+28.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$56,800$79,910+$23,110 (+40.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,710$136,760+$23,050 (+20.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,520$206,610+$43,090 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$99,200$117,520+$18,320 (+18.5%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Relocation FAQs

About $119,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Raleigh-Cary, NC
Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Overview

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to match $100,000 in Raleigh-Cary, NC?

About $119,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH cheaper than Raleigh-Cary, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.4% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Raleigh-Cary, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.