United States
Atlanta makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
Atlanta vs Raleigh-Durham
Atlanta's corporate and cultural pull comes with a sprawling, car-oriented metro, but green neighbourhoods and an airport give it reach. Raleigh-Durham is a quieter, spread-out university and research region, with strong technology and life-sciences work and an easier professional rhythm. Both require driving; choose between a bigger cultural hub and a calmer research-centred base.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Raleigh-Durham makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Raleigh-Durham61
Leads on safety & health; stands out for traffic flow and clean, cared-for streets.
- 2Atlanta60
Narrowly best on city life: 69 vs Raleigh-Durham's 66; stands out for local culture and nightlife.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Raleigh-Durham66Atlanta65
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $1,585/mo
- $1,485/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~33%
- ~31%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 100
- 100
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 24–44%
- 24–44%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 206 days
- 214 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 136 days
- 125 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 9.5 µg/m³
- 8 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Raleigh-Durham52Atlanta51
Beach & sea
110
- 3/10
- 5/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 4/10, leads
- 3/10
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Weekend escapes
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Atlanta69Raleigh-Durham66
Walkability
110
- 3/10, leads
- 2/10
Public transport
110
- 4/10, leads
- 2/10
Restaurants
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Raleigh-Durham61Atlanta55
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 18.6
- 4.9, leads
Feels safe day to day
110
- 5/10
- 7/10, leads
Healthcare quality
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
English-speaking care
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Raleigh-Durham63Atlanta60
Job market
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Jobs in English
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work–life balance
110
- 3/10
- 4/10, leads
Schools
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Atlanta59Raleigh-Durham57
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 1/10
- 1/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 8/10, leads
- 7/10
Flight connections
110
- 10/10, leads
- 7/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 7/10
- 7/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 8/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 8/10
- 7/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 5/10
- 6/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Atlanta
Housing and suburban space are real advantages, and residential areas are generally comfortable. The price is weak mixed-use urbanism, so most everyday trips are planned around driving.
Raleigh-Durham
Walkability is poor and a car is effectively mandatory; transit barely registers. The flip side is space, with generous houses and well-kept residential neighbourhoods that draw people who want room to spread out.
Safety
Atlanta
Safety is Atlanta's softer spot. Violent crime, including homicide, runs high for a US city, and residents tend to read certain areas and late nights with caution.
Raleigh-Durham
A safe place by US standards, with low homicide rates and residents who generally feel secure day and night. Property and petty crime exist but stay moderate.
Work and healthcare
Atlanta
Across sectors, Atlanta offers a broad career base, with strong job-market depth, low unemployment, and a dense professional network. The medical infrastructure is strong, with major hospital systems, reliable emergency care and care delivered entirely in English.
Raleigh-Durham
Career prospects are especially strong in Raleigh-Durham, with a deep job market, low unemployment, and a well-developed professional network. Major university hospitals make for genuinely strong clinical quality and reliable emergency care.
Culture and public life
Atlanta
Atlanta's cultural pull is the real thing, above all its music. Beyond the BeltLine and a few parks, this is a car city without much built public space to gather in.
Raleigh-Durham
A solid, growing food and coffee scene, with good restaurants, strong cafes and a respectable museum and music offering for its size. Free university culture, lectures and events soften that, and costs stay moderate.
Summary
Raleigh-Durham fits if you work in research or technology and want a lower-key professional life with a lighter housing burden. Atlanta has more cultural scale and a broader corporate network, and may suit a career that depends on its airport and industries. Consider where you would live and work, since neither region is easy without a car.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.