Apex vs Arlington
The short version
- Apex is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Arlington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $576,100 in Apex and $895,000 in Arlington.
- Apex has the warmer winter: January highs of 52°F vs 45°F.
- Arlington gets far more snow: 14 inches a year vs 5.
- Apex is growing faster: +24.9% since 2020 vs +0%.
Side by side
| Apex, NC | Arlington, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 80,419 | 236,254 |
| Growth since 2020 | +24.9% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 2,988 | 9,088 |
| Median age | 36.4 | 35.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 70% | 77% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $144,135 | $142,114 |
| Median home value | $576,100 | $895,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,902 | $2,322 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.2 | 108.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.5 | 151.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,600 | $81,700 |
| Homeowners | 77% | 41% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.2 | 26.2 |
| Work from home | 36% | 35% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 14% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.8% | 3.3% |
| Poverty rate | 2.2% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 45° / 30° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 90° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 60 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 66.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 59% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.1% | +2.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +44.9% | +33.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Apex: April to May and October. Arlington: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Apex weather by month and Arlington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,600 in Apex and $81,700 in Arlington. Moving from Apex to Arlington, you would need about $83,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Apex and Arlington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Apex and Arlington.
Which would you pick?
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