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Having lived in a northern suburb of Dallas and now in Cary, NC I can give you a qualified opinion.
Yes, living in the Dallas area is cheaper. Housing is cheaper and the general tax burden is cheaper. This, along with endless shopping are positives for Dallas.
Raleigh is a much smaller city with far fewer options for nightlife, shopping restaurants etc.. What Raleigh lacks in these options it makes up for in natural beauty and quality of life. To be specific, and here is where my opinion come in, I think the DFW metro has a generally unattractive landscape. It is quite flat and the lack of diverse terrain is monotonous. On top of that, if feels much hotter in the Metroplex, to the point where outdoor activities in the summer consist of walking from one air conditioned space to another.
Also, the people are much friendlier in Raleigh. I found many in the Metroplex to be a bit put on and fake. Very keeping up with the Jones mentality. Lots of religion in both places, but much more in your face in Dallas. Think Mega churches and advertisements in your mail weekly to come try out a new church.....its big business in Dallas.
While neither location is Shangri La, I would choose Raleigh over DFW all day, every day.
Having lived in a northern suburb of Dallas and now in Cary, NC I can give you a qualified opinion.
Yes, living in the Dallas area is cheaper. Housing is cheaper and the general tax burden is cheaper. This, along with endless shopping are positives for Dallas.
Raleigh is a much smaller city with far fewer options for nightlife, shopping restaurants etc.. What Raleigh lacks in these options it makes up for in natural beauty and quality of life. To be specific, and here is where my opinion come in, I think the DFW metro has a generally unattractive landscape. It is quite flat and the lack of diverse terrain is monotonous. On top of that, if feels much hotter in the Metroplex, to the point where outdoor activities in the summer consist of walking from one air conditioned space to another.
Also, the people are much friendlier in Raleigh. I found many in the Metroplex to be a bit put on and fake. Very keeping up with the Jones mentality. Lots of religion in both places, but much more in your face in Dallas. Think Mega churches and advertisements in your mail weekly to come try out a new church.....its big business in Dallas.
While neither location is Shangri La, I would choose Raleigh over DFW all day, every day.
Thanks for your comments. Having lived in both the areas, how much percentage in COL difference between 2 places do you think. Say, some one making for example 100K (in both areas). 7-8K itself you get more take home salary in TX as compared to Raleigh because of State Tax. What other things do you factor in which will add or deduct to this chunk of difference. Also, regarding Allergies which is another concern I have, which area in your opinion would be better in general.
Thanks for your comments. Having lived in both the areas, how much percentage in COL difference between 2 places do you think. Say, some one making for example 100K (in both areas). 7-8K itself you get more take home salary in TX as compared to Raleigh because of State Tax. What other things do you factor in which will add or deduct to this chunk of difference. Also, regarding Allergies which is another concern I have, which area in your opinion would be better in general.
Property taxes would be higher in Dallas for a similarly priced home. But, in most Dallas suburbs, homes will be cheaper, so overall property tax would be pretty close.
In general, taxes are higher across the board in NC. For example, gasoline is more expensive in NC.
Allergies can be bad in both places. NC is much greener, so there is lots of pollen etc.. I do recall having terrible allergies in Dallas though. I guess it will depend on what triggers a reaction for you.
Property taxes would be higher in Dallas for a similarly priced home. But, in most Dallas suburbs, homes will be cheaper, so overall property tax would be pretty close.
In general, taxes are higher across the board in NC. For example, gasoline is more expensive in NC.
Allergies can be bad in both places. NC is much greener, so there is lots of pollen etc.. I do recall having terrible allergies in Dallas though. I guess it will depend on what triggers a reaction for you.
Thanks for the response. Now I think I will have to check in which are I would be better off as far as allergies are concerned. Planning to make a trip to Raleigh in couple of weeks. I think I would definitely love it, but even though I love Scenic views, I am worried about allergies, especially myself to Pollen.
Thanks for the response. Now I think I will have to check in which are I would be better off as far as allergies are concerned. Planning to make a trip to Raleigh in couple of weeks. I think I would definitely love it, but even though I love Scenic views, I am worried about allergies, especially myself to Pollen.
Yes, I did. I like the place. But most of the houses look cheap compared to Dallas. But other than that there is not much to complain about other than taxes.
I wouldn't necessarily describe Dallas, TX or Raleigh, NC as "warm."
But to answer your question -- the tax burden is overall much lower in TX than in NC, which has a state income tax and a personal property tax on vehicles and, in some counties, pets. Yes, you heard me right -- pets!
Also, Dallas and Raleigh aren't really comparable in terms of population, economy, amenities, etc. Raleigh is much more comparable to Austin, which has better weather, prettier scenery, and a less religious and socially conservative culture than Dallas. Even the economy of Austin is more consistent with that of Raleigh.
And if I had to choose between Austin and Raleigh, I'd pick Austin, for sure. NC, overall, is on its way to becoming FL 2.0, and that's not a good thing.
Hi, I live in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. I am considering moving to a warmer place and thinking of Dallas, Tx or Raleigh, NC. I noticed in salary/cost of living comparator's etc that both Dallas and Raleigh has same cost of living. But NC has a almost 8% State income tax. How are these two areas has same cost of living when there is a almost 7-8% income tax difference itself. I thought it would be cheaper to move from this area as well but I only pay 4% income tax here. Please clearly tell me how Raleigh, NC would be cheaper and better place as mentioned in several calculators. Most of the websites say Raleigh would be 25% cheaper as compared to KOP, PA. Other than couple of hundred dollars in Rent, I didnt hear anything else cheaper there and on top of it, it has more income taxes. Please please clarify..It would help me decide whether to move to Dallas Tx or Raleigh NC. Please suggest. Thanks in advance for a detailed response. Thank you.
With a username like "Krishna" you're obviously a Hindu, with the present location being a prominent Philadelphia suburb (King of Prussia), you're obviously Indian/desi. Telegu? Tamil? Punjabi? Gujarati? Actually in Dallas it wont matter, it has, in raw numbers the sixth largest Indian population in all of America and will by 2020 probably be in the top 5 easily (after New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicagoland, Washington DC, Los Angeles; in that order) and is fifth in percentages (after New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicagoland, Washington DC; in that order) and only trails Chicago and Houston in the internal composition of "desi". What that means is, if you're Gajarati, there is an adequate number of them in Dallas, about equal to the numbers of Punjabis, Telegus, Malyalees, or Tamils, no one group would ever stick out. Indians are the most prominent Asian group in Dallas, and it's one of the richest cities in the country for their amenities and logistical connections (because I know that can be pretty important). It goes without saying, it is a far superior upgrade to a city like Philadelphia in that regard and would remain a superior options over the much smaller Raleigh-Durham area as well.
Like others have mentioned there is no state income tax in Texas. Dallas is not really a "warm weather" city, that is reserved for places like Austin, San Antonio, and Houston in Texas that rarely ever get any snow or dip to the lows that Dallas does. Other than that, the choice should be easy for you, for the comfort in your background, industry, and preference climate wise, go with Dallas over Raleigh.
Go with Plano when you look around in the Dallas area for a place, I believe that's where most desis prefer to be in the Metroplex and it's one of the better area suburbs at that.
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