Moving from Anchorage to Raleigh

Moving to Raleigh costs you $59 a month

−$708 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Anchorage leftover

$2,806

a month after tax and rent

Raleigh leftover

$2,747

−$59 vs Anchorage

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Anchorage, AK and Raleigh, NC
Per monthAnchorageRaleighDifference
Gross pay$8,167$7,886−$281
Income and payroll tax$1,723$1,929+$207
Take-home pay$6,444$5,956−$488
Rent$1,346$1,249−$97
Getting around$636$568−$68
Groceries$457$384−$73
Healthcare$514$432−$82
Utilities$286$240−$46
Everything else$400$336−$64
Left over$2,806$2,747−$59

To break even in Raleigh, you'd need to earn

$95,500

Household gross, versus $98,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Anchorage does now.

The tax difference alone

−$3,480

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.1% in Anchorage, 24.5% in Raleigh.

More about Raleigh

Anchorage, AK in full

No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,602 and 138 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.

Raleigh, NC in full

Research Triangle salaries, low taxes, and not much to do downtown.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Raleigh on Raleigh wages.

RaleighAnchorage

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Raleigh than Anchorage?

A one-bedroom is about $1,346 in Anchorage versus $1,249 in Raleigh. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $59 a month lower in Raleigh. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Raleigh have state income tax?

Raleigh is in North Carolina, which taxes wage income.

What changes if you move from Anchorage to Raleigh?

Take-home pay is recalculated under North Carolina tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.