Cary vs Sandy Springs
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $580,200 in Cary and $619,800 in Sandy Springs.
- Households earn more in Cary ($134,905 vs $104,340 median).
- Cary is growing faster: +5% since 2020 vs -2.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Cary (23 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Cary, NC | Sandy Springs, GA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 183,582 | 105,013 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5% | -2.9% |
| People per square mile | 3,011 | 2,785 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 36.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 71% | 69% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $134,905 | $104,340 |
| Median home value | $580,200 | $619,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,738 | $1,870 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.2 | 100.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.5 | 111.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,600 | $75,000 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | 5.19% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 7.56% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 25.8 |
| Work from home | 37% | 32% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.5% | 4% |
| Poverty rate | 5.7% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 32° | 52° / 33° |
| July high / low | 91° / 70° | 89° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 46 in | 51 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 52 | 53 |
| Nights below freezing | 65 | 49 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 95.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 41% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.1% | +1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +44.9% | +42.7% |
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: Cary: April to May and October. Sandy Springs: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Cary weather by month and Sandy Springs 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 Cary and $75,000 in Sandy Springs. Moving from Cary to Sandy Springs, you would need about $76,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cary and Sandy Springs
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cary and Sandy Springs.
Which would you pick?
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