CITY PROFILE
Raleigh, NC
WHAT LIVING HERE IS LIKE
Raleigh is a mid-size metro with a mild climate and moderate sunshine, but expect a wet climate year-round. Housing here ranks among the most expensive metros in our dataset, so budget accordingly if affordability is a priority. The combination of mild winters, regular rainfall, and moderate sun makes it a relatively temperate but damp place to settle.
By the numbers
| Typical home value | $438K · Zillow, May 2026 (ZHVI) |
|---|---|
| Typical rent | $1,694/mo · Zillow, May 2026 (ZORI) |
| Average temperature | 15.4°C · warmest 26.7°C · coolest 3.4°C · NASA POWER |
| Annual precipitation | 1186 mm · NASA POWER |
| Sunshine (solar energy) | 4.47 kWh/m²/day · NASA POWER (annual mean) |
| Metro size rank (US) | #43 · Zillow SizeRank |
Match scores
- Affordable to buy78
- Affordable to rent69
- Climate comfort78
- Plenty of sunshine56
- Big-city amenities90
Scores are 0–100, normalised across the metros we cover, derived from the sourced figures above (higher = better on that factor). A research aid, not a recommendation to move. Job market, safety, and healthcare access need key-gated feeds (BLS, FBI, Census) not yet wired — see the methodology.
