Software Developers salary in Raleigh, NC

Median pay for software developers in Raleigh, NC: $132,000/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $80,730 – $185,180 · about 16,160 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($111,055) by +$20,945 (+19%).

What it's really worth in Raleigh

With Raleigh's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $132,000 has the buying power of about $134,208 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $91,818 · median home $438,364 · median rent $1,694/mo.

Full Raleigh cost of living & taxes →

How Raleigh ranks for this job

On raw pay, Raleigh, NC is 25th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once Raleigh's cost of living is applied, it ranks 12th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Raleigh sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Raleigh

A median home in Raleigh, NC costs $438,364 — about 3.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,694/mo works out at 15% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where software developers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Raleigh.

Metro	Median pay	vs Raleigh	Rent vs Raleigh
San Jose, CA	$199,100	+51%	2.1×
San Francisco, CA	$172,340	+31%	1.9×
Seattle, WA	$167,030	+27%	1.3×
Santa Maria, CA	$154,200	+17%	2×

Same job elsewhere in NC

Metro	Median pay	vs Raleigh	Rent vs Raleigh
Charlotte, NC	$135,750	+3%	1×
Durham, NC	$135,710	+3%	1×
Winston-Salem, NC	$124,880	−5%	0.9×
Wilmington, NC	$124,110	−6%	1×

Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires software developers around Raleigh

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• First Citizens Bank · Finance
• Lenovo · Tech
• SAS Institute · Tech

Other jobs in Raleigh