Fort Myers vs Raleigh
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 64. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Fast-growing Gulf-coast hub with a historic River District and the RSW airport
Full Fort Myers profile →Plan a trip to Fort Myers →Research Triangle tech and a mild climate
Full Raleigh profile →Plan a trip to Raleigh →Where they differ
- Climate. Fort Myers leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Raleigh. Comfortable months: 8 vs 7.
- Getting there & around. Raleigh leads on getting there & around, 23 to 16, against Fort Myers. Non-stop airport destinations: 78 vs 90.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, cost of living, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Fort Myers if you want
- no clear edge over Raleigh in the data
Pick Raleigh if you want
- to spend about $125 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Fort Myers | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 20 | 22 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 84 | 87 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 16 | 23 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 58 |
| Air quality | 95 | 96 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Fort Myers | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,070 | $2,945 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Fort Myers | 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 | Fort Myers | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 94.5 Mbps | 106.7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 18.5 Mbps | 21.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Fort Myers | 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 | Fort Myers | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 78 | 90 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Fort Myers | Raleigh |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.3 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Fort Myers or Raleigh?
- Raleigh is cheaper: about $2,945 per month versus $3,070 for one person.
- Is Fort Myers or Raleigh safer?
- Fort Myers and Raleigh score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Fort Myers or Raleigh?
- Raleigh: a measured median of 106.7 Mbps versus 94.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Fort Myers vs Naples (Florida)
- Fort Myers vs Tampa
- 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.