New York vs North Carolina Which Is Better?

 Are you considering leaving the Northeast area, specifically areas like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and considering relocating to the Raleigh area and wondering if it'd be a good fit for the lifestyle that you want to live? From the insanely high taxes to the traffic and some less than happy people, there are many Northerners looking for some relief.

And finding it right here in North Carolina. Migration to North Carolina accounts for an outstanding 91 percent of the state's growth. So why are people moving from New York? And that's New York city proper in the five boroughs and even Long Island to the Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina area in droves.

Today we'll dive into some of the differences between New York And North Carolina and share with you why people want to move here hands down, including my family and I, as we relocated here nearly seven years ago, many people are seeking a balance between city life and suburbia. and looking towards North Carolina due to factors ranging from lower cost of living to jobs, work life balance, and even weather.

Fun fact, more North Carolina transplants were born in New York than in any other state. Locally, here in the Raleigh area, this migration has even earned a nickname for Cary being Centralized Area for Relocating Yankees. My hubby's originally from Connecticut, and we have a lot of family and friends between New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Some find it comical, while others will just roll their eyes. When you take a look at major metro areas, Mecklenburg County, which is in the Charlotte area, has the largest share of New York transplants versus any other county in North Carolina. The county is home to approximately 88, 000 people who were born in New York.

Now, if we take a look at Wake County, which is located in the Raleigh area, We came in with the second most with just under 79, 000 New York natives. But if you combine both Orange and Durham counties here in the triangle, which is Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill as a whole, we would be number one. And looking holistically throughout North Carolina, 46 percent of all residents were born outside of North Carolina, accounting for nearly 5 million people according to the Carolina demography.

Of course, about 10 percent were born in New York. We are seeing more Wegman grocery stores popping up all around the Raleigh Triangle area. as well as other parts of the state and even New York style bagel spots and delis. I remember back in 2019 when Wegmans in Raleigh opened and there were over 3, 000 people lined up for the grand opening.

It felt like Disneyland for grown ups. So why are so many North Easterners moving here? Well, reason number one is the actual cost of living. In many of my other videos, I've talked about the fact that the cost of living in Raleigh is relatively low compared to the rest of the nation. But if we dial that down specifically to New York compared to Raleigh, North Carolina, using a cost calculator, I use best places.

net. You just type in the city you're interested in moving to versus where you currently live and add your annual income. For example, moving from New York to Raleigh, North Carolina, making an annual salary of 100, 000. Overall, the cost of living is 39 percent less expensive here in Raleigh versus New York.

With housing being nearly 60 percent lower, utilities 34 percent lower, healthcare expenses 25 percent lower, and commute times 51 percent lower. Just the lower housing and commute times has many packing their bags. Raleigh's cost of living is 4 percent lower than the national average compared to New York City, which is 38 percent higher than the state average and 76 percent higher than the national average.

With New York City housing being 236 percent more expensive than the US average. And with all this, my hubby and I haven't been able to convince my sister in law to leave New York. Reason number two. Speaking of housing, this is a top factor when it comes to the cost of living for New Yorkers, and that's unaffordable housing.

It amazes me how little housing you get for For your money. Take a look at this condo my sister in law was considering buying this summer. It's a one bedroom, one bath condo in the heart of the Upper West Side. So it definitely is a great location, close to Central Park, the subway station, surrounded by shops, restaurants, and entertainment.

Which is a selling point for her, but take a look at what 776, 000 will get her. Again, it's a one bedroom, one bath, built in 1920 with 507 a month HOAs. And she was actually excited about that price and I was like, what? Looking at a similar condo comparison here in Raleigh in the Briar Creek area, which is a great location with close proximity to shops, restaurants, and the RDU airport.

For 235, 000, you can get a one bedroom, one and a half bath, just under 1, 000 square feet with HOA dues of 190 per month. which also includes access to a clubhouse, pool, and tennis courts. Now, if you want to stay in the heart of Raleigh and step out into the city, then you can get a condo at a similar price as New York, but on a lot bigger footprint.

For example, this two bedroom, three bath, nearly 1, 500 square foot condo for 795, 000. completely renovated. If you really want to continue that kind of lifestyle. But if you'd love to have some extra space and be in a neighborhood, you can get a huge home here. That's just over 4500 square feet, five bedroom, four bath for 775, 000.

And that's nearly on a quarter of an acre built in 2008. That's definitely quite a big difference. The median home price in Raleigh as of mid 2024 is approximately 446, 000. And if you go to many of the surrounding suburbs of Raleigh, you can get a home anywhere from around 400, with square footage from around 2, 000 to 3, 800 square feet.

If you want something on the smaller side and want to be in a condo or a townhome. You can even find them ranging from approximately the low to mid 200s to 500, 000s. And if you're looking for luxury living, we have homes that range from 1 million all the way up to 9 million. Your housing dollars will definitely go further here in the Raleigh Triangle versus New York.

And if you look in areas on the southwest or the southeast side of Raleigh like Clayton, Windell, Knightdale and Garner versus the western side of Raleigh with suburbs like Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Fuquay Verena. Not to mention if you're selling your property in New York, think about how much. farther those dollars will go in this real estate market.

Whether you're looking for a resale or new construction, the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill triangle has so many options depending on the lifestyle that you want to live. Number three. Now let's talk about schools. If we look at the comparison of public schools from New York to Raleigh, North Carolina, the statistics are pretty shocking.

I even had to double check these numbers when I first saw them. In New York City public schools, the average ratio between student to teacher is 3, 608 to 1. with the state average being 13 to 1. Now, I haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet to look into those factors, but I'm not sure how students can get a proper education with those stats.

In addition to that, only 64 percent of the teachers that are teaching in New York are licensed with around 70 percent of the teachers having three or more years of experience. And only 31 percent of high school age students were college ready by the end of their high school years. Now, if we take a look at Raleigh City Public Schools, there's definitely a big difference.

In other videos, I've talked about our public schools, magnet charter, and even private schools. Today I'll be focusing primarily on Wake County Public Schools, which is the county Raleigh and most of the surrounding suburbs are in. Wake County public school ratios for student to teacher is 15 to 1, with the state average also being 15 to 1.

In addition to that, 86 percent of teachers are certified and 96 percent have been in teaching for three years or more. And only 42 percent of high school age students were college ready by the end of their high school years. As a parent, I will say holistically across our country, we definitely need to figure out the school system for our children who will be our future leaders.

Number four. Now let's talk about taxes. When it comes to property taxes, this makes up a large portion of living expenses for those who live in New York. Now in New York, of course, again, on average, the boroughs, your property tax are about 20%, and that's pretty high. If we take a look at Raleigh and the surrounding suburbs, which is located in Wake County, It's less than 1 percent coming in at 0.

82%. Now that's a pretty nice difference in comparison to 20%. And if we look at the other triangle area, closest counties, we have Chatham County coming in at 0. 75 percent Orange County at 1. 11%. And Durham County taxes come in around 1. 03 percent and Johnston County 0. 79%. These are all wonderful places to live in close proximity to great jobs, amenities, parks, and restaurants.

So if you're not only looking for a better quality of life, And stretch both your housing and tax dollars. You may want to consider moving to the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill triangle area. One more note on taxes and that's regarding income tax. In New York, there's nine income tax rates ranging from 4 percent to 10.

9%. Whereas in North Carolina, there's a flat state income tax rate currently at 4. 5 percent and will continue to decrease every year until it reaches 3. 99% So again, your salary here in North Carolina will stretch a lot farther paying less taxes. Number five, the next thing people consider when moving to the Raleigh area, aside from actual quality of life and cost of living is the job market.

If we take a look at the job market and unemployment in New York. The unemployment rate at the time of this video, mid 2024 is 4. 2%. And if we compare that to the Raleigh, North Carolina area, our unemployment rate is 3. 3%. Taking a look at New York, the city's recovery four years after the onset of the pandemic has mixed reviews as the city's economic outlook is continued slow but steady growth according to the partnership for New York City.

If we compare that to the Raleigh Durham triangle area, we are continuing to see a thriving job market as our region has become a true economy. biotech hub. North Carolina as a whole ranks among the top three in the nation for bioscience employment. The triangle area also has a significant presence in the healthcare industry and educational jobs due to the number of universities and schools.

Finance and banking, manufacturing, environmental, marketing, construction, government, nonprofits, arts, and culture. According to best places. net, it estimates future growth over the next decade to be just over 44 percent versus the U. S. average of just over 33%. When it comes to our area, we have a wide variety of jobs and opportunities.

If you want to learn more about the top 10 jobs in our area, make sure to watch this video. where I break them down. Number six. Now let's talk about the weather. Spring and fall are absolutely beautiful weather to enjoy here. The great outdoors, the greenway trails, while summers are hot and humid, just like New York.

But we do have air conditioning. Now, I will say one of the things that kept us from moving back to Connecticut or New York when we lived in California were the winters. I do not like snow. And as I've gotten older, the cold just hurts my bones. And I'm all about the sunshine, the blue skies, and not the gray, dreary skies from October.

October to April, where it just doesn't seem to go away and it feels gloomy. Sunshine is my happiness and in Raleigh, we get an average of 213 sunny days per year. We were also named the 7th happiest city in the country, which is probably a combination of the quality of life and sunny days here. So experiencing four seasons with mild winters and temperatures averaging 54 degrees in the day and nights around 30 degrees.

I was definitely drawn to this area. Now there is a running joke here that you can experience all four seasons in one week or even one day. But good news, we really don't get that much snow. If it does snow, it's typically one to two times per year And it's usually a light dusting, or if it sticks for a day, it melts as quick as it came.

But, I will warn you, coming from the Northeast, where you know how to deal with real snow, here in the Raleigh area, if there's even a forecast of a snowflake, the schools shut down, there's no bread, no milk in the stores. And you're just looking around like what in the world people? It's one of the craziest things I've ever experienced.

The Raleigh and Durham metro area continues to be an attractive place for people to relocate due to a combination of its affordability, high quality of life, and job market. For over a decade, Raleigh and many of the surrounding suburbs have ranked in the top best places and safest places to live, so much so that many people are continuing to move to North Carolina.

Raleigh, North Carolina really has so So much to offer and we are proud to call it home. If you found this information helpful, please click the like button below. So others like you can find this information as well. And if you're considering relocating to the Raleigh area or anywhere surrounding the area and looking to purchase a home, we would love to help.

All you have to do is reach out to me. My number is right here on the screen. Whether you want to give me a call, shoot me a text, or send me an email, we would love to chat. Till next time, we'll see y'all later.