Overall
- Raleigh-Cary
- 98.2
- Richmond
- 97.9
Diff -0.3 RPP
Raleigh-Cary vs Richmond
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Richmond is 0.3% less expensive than Raleigh-Cary.
0.3% less expensive
Richmond, VA is 0.3% less expensive than Raleigh-Cary, NC on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 97.9 vs 98.2). A $100,000 salary in Raleigh-Cary buys about the same as $99,695 in Richmond; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.2 (Raleigh-Cary) vs 97.9 (Richmond)
- $100k in Raleigh-Cary ≈ $99,695 purchasing power in Richmond
- Rents drives the gap (-4.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NC:VA 98.2→97.9
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NC × VA
- 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.
Raleigh-Cary
98.2
Cost Index
Richmond
97.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Raleigh-Cary, NC and Richmond, VA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Richmond is 4.3 points lower. But services and goods 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 Raleigh-Cary corresponds to $99,695 in Richmond.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Raleigh-Cary
- 96.6
- Richmond
- 96.8
Diff +0.2 RPP
Services
- Raleigh-Cary
- 89.0
- Richmond
- 89.2
Diff +0.3 RPP
Rents
- Raleigh-Cary
- 103.5
- Richmond
- 99.1
Diff -4.3 RPP
| Category | Raleigh-Cary | Richmond | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.2 | 97.9 | -0.3 |
| Goods | 96.6 | 96.8 | +0.2 |
| Services | 89.0 | 89.2 | +0.3 |
| Rents | 103.5 | 99.1 | -4.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Raleigh-Cary 98.2
Richmond 97.9
Goods
Raleigh-Cary 96.6
Richmond 96.8
Services
Raleigh-Cary 89.0
Richmond 89.2
Rents
Raleigh-Cary 103.5
Richmond 99.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Raleigh-Cary would need to be in Richmond for the same purchasing power:
| In Raleigh-Cary | In Richmond | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,848 | $-152 |
| $75,000 | $74,772 | $-228 |
| $100,000 | $99,695 | $-305 |
| $150,000 | $149,543 | $-457 |
$ in Raleigh-Cary = in Richmond
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.2 → 97.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Richmond more expensive than Raleigh-Cary?
Richmond is 0.3% less expensive than Raleigh-Cary. The overall cost index is 97.9 vs 98.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Richmond equals $100K in Raleigh-Cary?
A $100,000 salary in Raleigh-Cary has the same purchasing power as $99,695 in Richmond. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Raleigh-Cary and Richmond?
Rents in Raleigh-Cary are indexed at 103.5 while Richmond is at 99.1 (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.