Daytona Beach vs Raleigh
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Daytona Beach edges it, 65 to 64, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Race city with a drivable beach and a quieter off-season
Full Daytona Beach profile →Plan a trip to Daytona Beach →Research Triangle tech and a mild climate
Full Raleigh profile →Plan a trip to Raleigh →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Daytona Beach leads on getting there & around, 30 to 23, against Raleigh. Non-stop airport destinations: 171 vs 90.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Daytona Beach if you want
- no clear edge over Raleigh in the data
Pick Raleigh if you want
- to spend about $36 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 21 | 22 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 87 ✓ | 87 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 30 ✓ | 23 |
| Climate | 58 | 58 |
| Air quality | 92 | 96 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $2,981 | $2,945 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 120.3 Mbps ✓ | 106.7 Mbps |
| Upload | 14.7 Mbps | 21.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 171 ✓ | 90 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Daytona Beach | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.5 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Daytona Beach or Raleigh?
- Raleigh is cheaper: about $2,945 per month versus $2,981 for one person.
- Is Daytona Beach or Raleigh safer?
- Daytona Beach and Raleigh score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Daytona Beach or Raleigh?
- Daytona Beach: a measured median of 120.3 Mbps versus 106.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Daytona Beach vs Durham
- Daytona Beach vs Santa Barbara
- Raleigh vs Savannah
- Raleigh vs Durham
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.