Median rent is 1% lower in Raleigh ($1,572/mo vs $1,586/mo). Buying is cheaper in Nashville-Davidson, where the median home runs $413,600 versus $415,800. Households earn more in Raleigh ($85,395 vs $77,371 a year).
City A
Nashville-Davidson, TN
City B
Raleigh, NC
How much would you need to earn in Raleigh, NC to maintain your standard of living from Nashville-Davidson, TN?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Nashville-Davidson
Tennessee
Raleigh
North Carolina
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rents are similar in both cities: $1,586/mo in Nashville-Davidson and $1,572/mo in Raleigh. Median home values are within 1% of each other: $413,600 in Nashville-Davidson and $415,800 in Raleigh.
Metric
Nashville-Davidson
Raleigh
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Nashville-Davidson
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Raleigh
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Nashville-Davidson has cleaner air on average: 38.0 AQI (Good) compared to 47.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Raleigh if you prioritize higher median household income ($85,395/yr).
Pick Nashville-Davidson if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 38.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,586/mo in Nashville-Davidson, TN and $1,572/mo in Raleigh, NC. Raleigh, NC has the lower rent by about 1%.
Median household income is $77,371 in Nashville-Davidson, TN and $85,395 in Raleigh, NC. Raleigh, NC has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Nashville-Davidson, TN has better air quality on average: 38.0 AQI versus 47.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
