United States
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.
Raleigh-Durham vs Washington, D.C.
Raleigh-Durham's universities support a deep technology and life-sciences market, but work and home are spread across leafy suburbs and driving is essential. Washington, D.C. centres daily life on government, policy and law, with museums and humid summers, plus elevated violent crime to weigh.
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
Washington, D.C. makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
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
- 1Washington, D.C.64
Leads on nature & outdoors, city life and moving & settling in; stands out for life without a car and public transport.
- 2Raleigh-Durham61
Leads on money and safety & health; stands out for winter comfort and easier house-hunting.
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-Durham66Washington, D.C.60
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $1,485/mo, leads
- $2,079/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~31%, leads
- ~35%
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
- 214 days
- 216 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 125 days
- 94 days, leads
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 8 µg/m³
- 7.9 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Washington, D.C.58Raleigh-Durham52
Beach & sea
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Mountains
110
- 3/10
- 4/10, leads
City parks
110
- 7/10
- 9/10, leads
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
Washington, D.C.78Raleigh-Durham66
Walkability
110
- 2/10
- 7/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 2/10
- 8/10, leads
Restaurants
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 7/10
- 9/10, leads
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Raleigh-Durham61Washington, D.C.57
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 4.9, leads
- 16.6
Feels safe day to day
110
- 7/10, leads
- 5/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 10/10, leads
- 9/10
English-speaking care
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Washington, D.C.66Raleigh-Durham63
Job market
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work–life balance
110
- 4/10, leads
- 3/10
Schools
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Washington, D.C.65Raleigh-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
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Flight connections
110
- 7/10
- 8/10, leads
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 7/10
- 9/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 10/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 7/10
- 9/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 6/10
- 8/10
Life in each city
Daily life
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.
Washington, D.C.
A walkable, human-scaled capital with a strong transit spine, leafy rowhouse neighbourhoods, and suburbs that rank among the better ones in the country. Compared with New York it is far smaller and lower-density, which suits people who want a city that stays legible.
Safety
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.
Washington, D.C.
The homicide rate is high for an American capital and clearly above peers like New York, and perceptions of street and night-time safety reflect that. Day-to-day risk varies sharply by neighbourhood.
Work and healthcare
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.
Washington, D.C.
Work in Washington sits within an unusually strong English-speaking market, backed by broad industries and some of the densest professional networks in the set. The clinical side is excellent, with top-tier hospitals, strong specialist access, and care delivered entirely in English.
Culture and public life
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.
Washington, D.C.
World-class on museums and institutions, anchored by the free Smithsonian collections that few cities can rival, plus a serious music and arts scene. Washington's monumental core is tidy and genuinely walkable, built around the National Mall, broad plazas and a civic landscape designed for crowds, even if upkeep frays in outer neighbourhoods.
Summary
Washington, D.C. suits someone working in policy, law or government who wants an institution-rich city. Raleigh-Durham is a lower-key professional choice for tech and life sciences, with a suburban, car-dependent routine.
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.