Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Raleigh Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 58.9% more expensive than Raleigh.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.8% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 25.7% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 64.9% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 50.9% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0 times more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 17.4% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, restaurants, and groceries in New York City are more expensive than in Raleigh. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. Raleigh Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Raleigh, you would:
pay 27.8% more for restaurants
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.37
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.07
|
$2.61
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 25.7% more for groceries
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.07
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.87
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.35
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.68
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.21
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.89
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.57
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.94
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.68
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$1.78
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 64.9% more for transportation
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.12
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,689.37
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.90
|
$22.39
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 50.9% more for housing
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.64
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,775.64
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,470.00
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.76
|
$151.98
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,490.00
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,083.25
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.88
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.27
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.50
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.18
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$20.00
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.4% more for clothing
|
Raleigh
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.78
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.25
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.08
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$137.22
|
$168.76
|
|
Raleigh vs. New York City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or Raleigh. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.