Moving from Columbus to Raleigh
You'd keep $108 more a month in Raleigh
+$1,296 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Columbus leftover
$2,646
a month after tax and rent
Raleigh leftover
$2,754
+$108 vs Columbus
In 2022-2023, 110 households moved Columbus → Raleigh (avg AGI $108,127). 85 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Columbus | Raleigh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,896 | +$313 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,888 | $1,933 | +$45 |
| Take-home pay | $5,695 | $5,963 | +$268 |
| Rent | $1,174 | $1,249 | +$75 |
| Getting around | $526 | $568 | +$42 |
| Groceries | $372 | $384 | +$12 |
| Healthcare | $419 | $432 | +$13 |
| Utilities | $233 | $240 | +$7 |
| Everything else | $326 | $336 | +$10 |
| Left over | $2,646 | $2,754 | +$108 |
To break even in Raleigh, you'd need to earn
$93,000
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Columbus does now.
The tax difference alone
+$576
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Columbus, 24.5% in Raleigh.
More about Raleigh
Columbus, OH in full
The most affordable large metro with a growing white-collar job base.
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.
Raleigh → Columbus →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Raleigh than Columbus?
A one-bedroom is about $1,174 in Columbus versus $1,249 in Raleigh. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $108 a month higher 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 Columbus 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.