2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Worcester, MA

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 Worcester, MA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$94,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-5.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$1,299
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$420
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,719/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

Worcester, MA

COL 128.7
Gross Parity Income $94,500
Federal Income Tax -$11,960
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,229
State Income Tax -$4,505
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,806
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,044
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,762

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.5% lower in Worcester, MA than in Raleigh-Cary, NC, so $100,000 in Raleigh goes about as far as $94,500 in Worcester. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,552 a month in Raleigh and $1,587 in Worcester, $420 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 Worcester. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,719 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,990 in Raleigh and $57,830 in Worcester.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Raleigh-Cary (Monthly) Worcester (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,552$1,587+$35+2.3%
Food & Groceries$382$386+$4+1.0%
Transportation$1,109$1,085-$24-2.2%
Healthcare$451$420-$31-6.9%
Other Necessities$595$563-$32-5.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$2,133+$108+5.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$35/mo (2.3%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,552/mo Worcester: $1,587/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$354/mo (21.0%)
Raleigh-Cary: $1,689/mo Worcester: $2,043/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.66/hr (-5.5%)
Raleigh-Cary: $30.13/hr Worcester: $28.47/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.98/hr (8.1%)
Raleigh-Cary: $24.42/hr Worcester: $26.40/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 Worcester Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,830$100,240+$15,410 (+18.2%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$114,940$111,900-$3,040 (-2.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,770$146,950+$14,180 (+10.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,950$94,070+$12,120 (+14.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,280$100,290-$1,990 (-1.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$173,960$193,890+$19,930 (+11.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$56,800$75,510+$18,710 (+32.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$163,130$170,940+$7,810 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,820$122,180+$25,360 (+26.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,520$162,810-$710 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,540$82,260+$21,720 (+35.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$110,030$104,140-$5,890 (-5.4%)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 Worcester, MA Relocation FAQs

About $94,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 128.7 in Worcester, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Worcester, MA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Worcester, MA to Raleigh-Cary, NC
Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Worcester, MA Overview

Raleigh-Cary, NC to Worcester, MA: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Raleigh-Cary, NC to Worcester, MA 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 Worcester, MA to match $100,000 in Raleigh-Cary, NC?

About $94,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.2 in Raleigh-Cary, NC, 128.7 in Worcester, MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Worcester, MA cheaper than Raleigh-Cary, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.5% lower in Worcester, MA than in Raleigh-Cary, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.