Climate
New York City logs 22 hot days a year to Raleigh's 77 — New York City wins by 55. Raleigh also leads on frost days by 14.
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Raleigh
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Raleigh is $2033/mo cheaperNew York City runs about $5,415/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Raleigh's $3,382/mo — Raleigh comes in $2,033 cheaper each month, roughly 60% less.
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
Raleigh
$3,382monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs Raleigh's 2.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability. Raleigh still holds an edge on car efficiency.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Raleigh's 3.1, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
New York City and Raleigh score neck-and-neck on nature & outdoors (4.0 vs 3.8, 0–5 scale).
Safety
Raleigh's safety score is ~1.4× New York City's — in the middle of the scale, while New York City lands below average, with the biggest gap on walking safety. New York City still holds an edge on wildfire safety.
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Raleigh's 3.7, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score is ~1.3× Raleigh's — in the upper band, while Raleigh lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on street atmosphere.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Raleigh's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Raleigh's 2.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on yoga studios.
Healthcare
On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs Raleigh's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
New York City averages 8.6 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus Raleigh's 7.7 µg/m³ (good) — Raleigh breathes ~10% cleaner air (0.9 µg/m³ lower).
New York City
Raleigh
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
New York City (14.2M) and Raleigh (153K) are 93x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Raleigh the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 42x more ground.
New York City is roughly 63x the scale of Raleigh
Combined population & area comparison
New York CityRaleighCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M93xRaleigh153K1xNew York City3,031 km²42xRaleigh72 km²1xNew York City
Raleigh
Who Thrives Here
New York City favours the big city energy, while Raleigh suits the crowd avoider. Both cities work well for the career builder.
Also compared
Frequently asked about New York City vs Raleigh
▶Which is cheaper, New York City or Raleigh?
▶How does the climate compare between New York City and Raleigh?
▶Is New York City or Raleigh safer?
▶Should I move to New York City or Raleigh?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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