Accountant pay in Raleigh, by the numbers
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$6,100; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$82,000.
Raleigh vs the national and NC picture
San Jose leads at US$121,700, 49% above Raleigh, while San Antonio sits at US$78,650. The neighbours in the ranking are Chicago and Miami.
With Raleigh as the sole NC entry for accountants, the useful benchmarks are national: 17th of 21, -2% vs the median.
What the Raleigh median is worth after tax and rent
Living costs are close to the baseline (COL index 100), so the median's buying power, about US$82,000, is near its face value.
Cash rank and buying-power rank match for Raleigh: 17th of 21.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$6,100 monthly (11% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 27% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$2,570 in the black.
Metros with a cost level like Raleigh
A accountant moving from Raleigh to New York (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 29% to US$105,650, with US$1,530 more left over monthly in our model.
Los Angeles (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$94,360, 15% more than Raleigh; modeled monthly leftover is US$800 higher.
A accountant moving from Raleigh to Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 1% to US$82,360, with US$20 more left over monthly in our model.
Other Raleigh jobs compared with accountant
Software Engineer is the best-paid tracked role in Raleigh at US$132,770; accountant comes 9th of 9.
Closest neighbours in the Raleigh list: Frontend Developer at US$82,250 (0%).
Where Raleigh stands for junior and senior accountants
Senior pay is the relative strength in Raleigh: US$134,220 at the 90th percentile ranks 14th of 21, while US$57,120 at the 10th ranks 17th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$196,890 at the 90th percentile, +47% against Raleigh.
The accountant pay range in Raleigh
The 90th percentile (US$134,220) is 2.3× the 10th (US$57,120), a wide band that usually reflects different seniority levels and employer types under one title.