Two of America's top tech hubs compared. Research Triangle vs Silicon Hills.
Austin: Massive. Tesla, Apple, Oracle HQ, Dell HQ, Samsung, Google, Meta.
Raleigh: Research Triangle. IBM, Cisco, Red Hat, SAS, Epic Games. Deep tech roots.
Austin: $550K median, 0% income tax, ~2% property tax.
Raleigh: $420K median, 4.5% income tax, ~1% property tax. Cheaper homes but income tax eats savings.
Austin: Live music, SXSW, food trucks, weird. A personality.
Raleigh: College town charm (Duke, UNC, NC State). Quieter, more suburban, family-oriented.
Austin: Brutal summers. Mild winters. Dry.
Raleigh: Hot summers but milder than Austin. Real fall. Occasional snow. More rain.
Austin: Lakes, Hill Country, swimming holes.
Raleigh: Beach (2.5 hrs), mountains (3.5 hrs). Best of both but neither close.
Austin wins on culture, music, food, and no income tax. Raleigh wins on affordability, proximity to beaches and mountains, and a slightly less intense pace. For pure tech careers, it's a coin flip.
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