Overall
- Madison
- 97.3
- Raleigh-Cary
- 98.2
Diff +0.9 RPP
Madison vs Raleigh-Cary
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Raleigh-Cary is 0.9% more expensive than Madison.
0.9% more expensive
Raleigh-Cary, NC is 0.9% more expensive than Madison, WI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.2 vs 97.3). A $100,000 salary in Madison buys about the same as $100,894 in Raleigh-Cary; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 97.3 (Madison) vs 98.2 (Raleigh-Cary)
- $100k in Madison ≈ $100,894 purchasing power in Raleigh-Cary
- Rents drives the gap (+3.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WI:NC 97.3→98.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WI × NC
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Madison
97.3
Cost Index
Raleigh-Cary
98.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Madison, WI and Raleigh-Cary, NC are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.9 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Raleigh-Cary is 3.7 points higher. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Madison corresponds to $100,894 in Raleigh-Cary.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Madison
- 93.8
- Raleigh-Cary
- 96.6
Diff +2.8 RPP
Services
- Madison
- 89.8
- Raleigh-Cary
- 89.0
Diff -0.9 RPP
Rents
- Madison
- 99.7
- Raleigh-Cary
- 103.5
Diff +3.7 RPP
| Category | Madison | Raleigh-Cary | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 97.3 | 98.2 | +0.9 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 96.6 | +2.8 |
| Services | 89.8 | 89.0 | -0.9 |
| Rents | 99.7 | 103.5 | +3.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Madison 97.3
Raleigh-Cary 98.2
Goods
Madison 93.8
Raleigh-Cary 96.6
Services
Madison 89.8
Raleigh-Cary 89.0
Rents
Madison 99.7
Raleigh-Cary 103.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Madison would need to be in Raleigh-Cary for the same purchasing power:
| In Madison | In Raleigh-Cary | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,447 | +$447 |
| $75,000 | $75,671 | +$671 |
| $100,000 | $100,894 | +$894 |
| $150,000 | $151,341 | +$1,341 |
$ in Madison = in Raleigh-Cary
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (97.3 → 98.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Raleigh-Cary more expensive than Madison?
Raleigh-Cary is 0.9% more expensive than Madison. The overall cost index is 98.2 vs 97.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Raleigh-Cary equals $100K in Madison?
A $100,000 salary in Madison has the same purchasing power as $100,894 in Raleigh-Cary. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Madison and Raleigh-Cary?
Rents in Madison are indexed at 99.7 while Raleigh-Cary is at 103.5 (national average = 100). Raleigh-Cary has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.