Monthly rent
$40 reported gap
Exceeds combined MOESum of reported MOEs: $39.
City housing comparison
Raleigh vs Charlotte: Housing Costs Compared
Compare Raleigh, NC and Charlotte, NC using 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year housing and income estimates.
Quick answer
Raleigh has lower reported median rent
Median gross rent is $40 lower per month in Raleigh. The income associated with a 30% rent target is $1,600 lower per year there.
This is a housing baseline, not an overall winner or a complete cost-of-living comparison.
Evidence, before conclusions
How much does the gap tell us?
Point estimates show the reported difference. Margins of error help put it in context.
Annual household income
$3,327 reported gap
Within combined MOESum of reported MOEs: $3,458.
Home value
$30,100 reported gap
Exceeds combined MOESum of reported MOEs: $11,986.
This is a conservative screen using the sum of two 90% MOEs, not a formal significance test. An inconclusive result does not mean the cities are equal. Read the comparison rule ↗
Side-by-side data
Housing and income benchmarks
| Metric | Raleigh | Charlotte |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,572/mo±$23 MOE | $1,612/mo±$16 MOE |
| Income for 30% rent target | $62,900±$900 derived MOE | $64,500±$600 derived MOE |
| Median household income | $85,395±$2,159 MOE | $82,068±$1,299 MOE |
| Median home value | $415,800±$7,720 MOE | $385,700±$4,266 MOE |
| Home value-to-income | 4.9x | 4.7x |
| Owner-occupied homes | 51% | 51% |
Decision signals
What the differences mean
01
Renting baseline
Raleigh has $40 lower reported monthly median gross rent. Keeping that rent near 30% of gross income corresponds to $1,600 less annual household income than in Charlotte.
02
Household income context
The $3,327 reported income gap does not exceed the combined 90% margin of error, so this dataset cannot confirm which city has higher underlying median household income. Citywide medians do not show an individual household's job offer, debt or family size.
03
Buying pressure
Charlotte reports a $30,100 lower median home value. Charlotte has the lower home value-to-income baseline by 0.2x. This does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance, maintenance or down payment requirements.
04
Ownership mix
Charlotte has an owner-occupied share 0.3 percentage points higher. Ownership share describes occupied housing, not homes currently available for sale.
City guide
Raleigh, NC
Review state rankings, annual rent and the personal income calculator.
Open Raleigh guideCity guide
Charlotte, NC
Review state rankings, annual rent and the personal income calculator.
Open Charlotte guideCity comparison tool
Two cities.
One clear comparison.
The same 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year source, definitions and calculations.
Comparison questions
Which city has lower median rent?
Raleigh has lower reported median gross rent by $40 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
Which city needs less income for the 30% rent benchmark?
Raleigh has the lower reported annual income target by $1,600.
Does this compare total cost of living?
No. It compares housing, household income and ownership measures. Food, transportation, taxes, health care and live listings are outside the current scope.
Good research deserves a source.
MoveCostCompare. “Raleigh, North Carolina vs Charlotte, North Carolina: housing costs.” U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Reported monthly median gross rent: Raleigh $1,572 (90% MOE ±$23); Charlotte $1,612 (90% MOE ±$16). https://movecostcompare.com/compare/raleigh-vs-charlotte. Survey estimates, not live asking rents.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Oct 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.