Durhamvs.Cary Which City Is Right for You in 2026?
A head-to-head guide to cost of living, jobs, transportation, weather, crime, and quality of life — so you can decide where to live, work, or visit.
Updated 2026-05-26 · By HomeSnacks Editorial
Durham
Durham vs. Cary at a glance
Choosing between Durham, NC and Cary, NC comes down to which trade-offs matter most to you. Below we break down cost of living, jobs, housing, crime, diversity, weather, transportation, and culture using public data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and HomeSnacks' proprietary SnackAbility quality-of-life score.
Durham vs. Cary in photos
A side-by-side look at each city.
Cost of living
Durham is the cheaper city overall — 10% higher in Cary than its rival. Index baseline: 100 = national average.
| Living expense | Durham | Cary | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 111 | 123 | 100 |
| Services | 103 | 97 | 100 |
| Groceries | 100 | 102 | 100 |
| Health | 129 | 183 | 100 |
| Housing | 103 | 98 | 100 |
| Transportation | 103 | 96 | 100 |
| Utilities | 106 | 101 | 100 |
Lower index = cheaper. 100 = U.S. national average. Bar inside each cell scales relative to the highest value in the table.
Sources: HomeSnacks Cost of Living indices, normalized so 100 = U.S. national average. Drill in: Durham cost of living, Cary cost of living, or the cheapest cities in America.
Housing breakdown
Home prices are higher in Cary. Compare absolute price and price-to-income — a $500k home in a $100k-income city is very different from one in a $50k-income city.
| Metric | Durham | Cary | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $396,394 | $626,395 | $332,700 |
| Median Rent | $1,508 | $1,738 | $1,413 |
| Median Income | $81,619 | $134,905 | $80,734 |
| Home Value To Income | 4.9x | 4.6x | 4.1x |
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.22x | 0.15x | 0.21x |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024. See also states with the highest rent in America.
Crime
Cary is the safer city — total crime rate of 1,388 per 100k people vs 4,419 for Durham. US average: 2,119.
| Crime (per 100k) | Durham | Cary | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total crime | 4,419 | 1,388 | 2,119 |
| Murder | 12 | 2 | 5 |
| Robbery | 161 | 13 | 61 |
| Aggravated Assault | 389 | 50 | 256 |
| Violent Crime | 619 | 71 | 359 |
| Burglary | 450 | 89 | 229 |
| Larceny | 2,725 | 1,111 | 1,272 |
| Car Theft | 624 | 118 | 259 |
| Property Crime | 3,800 | 1,317 | 1,760 |
Lower = safer. Bar inside each cell scales relative to the highest crime rate in the table.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2024). All rates are per 100,000 people. City pages: Durham crime, Cary crime. See also: safest cities in America.
Diversity
Durham is more racially diverse — lower HHI (closer to 0) means a more even mix across groups.
| Group | Durham | Cary | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 40.3% | 56.7% | 57.4% |
| African American | 33.2% | 7.6% | 11.9% |
| American Indian | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Asian | 5.8% | 20.3% | 5.9% |
| Hawaiian | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Two Or More | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Hispanic | 15.2% | 9.5% | 19.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Lower HHI = more even racial mix. See also: most diverse cities in America.
SnackAbility — overall quality of life
Cary scores higher overall — 9.5/10 vs 6/10. SnackAbility is our 1–10 quality-of-life score; the median U.S. city scores a 7.
SnackAbility is a HomeSnacks proprietary 1–10 score blending jobs, housing, education, commute, amenities, affordability, crime, and diversity. Median U.S. city ≈ 7. Data: Census, BLS, FBI. See also: best places to live in America.
Bottom line: which city is right for you?
Based on the head-to-head data above, here's the short version — pick the city that lines up with what you actually care about.
Choose Durham if you prioritize…
- a lower cost of living (cheaper groceries, services, and day-to-day expenses).
- a more racially diverse community (lower HHI on Census data).
Choose Cary if you prioritize…
- lower crime — a safer place to live, work, and raise a family.
- more affordable housing relative to Durham.
- a higher overall SnackAbility quality-of-life score.
Methodology: winners are picked from public data — U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income, home value, rent, race/HHI), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (crime rates per 100k), and HomeSnacks' proprietary SnackAbility quality-of-life score, which blends Bureau of Labor Statistics data with the above.
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