Raleigh, NC vs Ottawa, Canada: $100,000 against C$100,000

$75,000, $100,000 and $150,000 against C$75,000, C$100,000 and C$150,000

Each row compares the same rung of the two ladders — the numerals are held equal on purpose so that what you see moving is the tax rule, not the currency. The percentage columns are the share of gross that reaches the worker. No exchange rate is applied to these numbers.

Canada deductions beside the US ones, step by step

Eight rungs, all computed by the two engines on this page's build — nothing in this table is typed by hand. The non-US rungs use the same numerals as the US rungs, in the local currency.

The North Carolina line comes from the published 2026 state model used by the calculator.

C$100,000 gross in Ottawa: the Canada stack

Every line below is an output of ca/calculator-ca.js at C$100,000 — the same file the Canada calculator loads in your browser.

Source of this block: Canada engine ca/calculator-ca.js — CRA 2026 federal bands 14/20.5/26/29/33% + Ontario/BC/Alberta/Quebec provincial bands, CPP YMPE C$74,600 and EI MIE C$68,900.

What $100,000 leaves in Raleigh, NC after a year of rent

Rent is the largest line most workers cannot move, so the take-home gap is only half the story. This site publishes rents for US metros only: there is no rent series for Ottawa, Canada, so this section deliberately covers one side instead of guessing the other. Source: Zillow Research ZORI (Metro), kamuya açık araştırma dosyası · ay: 2026-08-31.

The same $100,000 in ten US states

Federal tax and FICA do not move between states; only the state line does. North Carolina is highlighted, and the last column is the gap against Raleigh, NC.

Two engines, one salary each

Raleigh, NC: assets/js/tax-2026.js — 2026 federal brackets, the $16,100 standard deduction, FICA with the $184,500 Social Security cap, and the North Carolina state model. Ottawa: ca/calculator-ca.js — Federal + provincial tax with basic personal amount credits, CPP/QPP and EI at 2026 maximums, no RRSP contribution. Both engines are the ones loaded by the site's own calculators, and both are checked at build time against tax-rules/2026.json.

In Raleigh, the payroll structure relies on a flat state tax of 4.25% applied to the gross income. This sits alongside federal income tax obligations and the FICA contributions, which include the Social Security and Medicare components. The North Carolina tax system is relatively straightforward, as the state rate remains consistent regardless of the progressive federal brackets. This creates a predictable deduction pattern where the primary variables remain the federal withholding and the mandatory federal social insurance programs that apply uniformly across all US states.

The Ottawa deduction stack is characterized by a combination of federal income tax and the provincial tax levied by Ontario. Unlike the US model, the Canadian payroll system incorporates mandatory contributions for the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance. These deductions are designed to provide specific social safety nets, including unemployment coverage and retirement income. The total provincial and federal burden reflects a progressive tax system where the basic personal amount credit reduces the overall liability for workers at this salary level compared to a system without such credits.

Using the same numeral for both currencies serves as a neutral baseline to isolate tax policy differences from volatile exchange rate fluctuations. By stripping away currency conversion, we focus purely on the percentage of gross income taken by each government. This honesty in reporting prevents the assumption that one location is objectively better than another, as it reveals that tax structures are fundamentally different beasts. This method remains useful for understanding the internal fiscal rules of each country, though it intentionally stops short of claiming purchasing power parity.

Raleigh, NC or Ottawa? What it means in practice

In Ottawa, the analysis focuses on a gross salary of C$100,000 and the corresponding tax obligations under Canadian law. The provincial and federal structures determine how much of that gross figure is withheld for public services and mandatory retirement programs. This side-by-side view highlights the differences in how North American tax systems extract revenue from the same numerical salary base, providing a clear framework for understanding the take-home pay differences that emerge due to regional fiscal policies.

In practice, this comparison highlights that tax policy is as much about the services provided as it is about the cash withheld. A worker in Raleigh sees a take-home pay of $74,930 after all statutory deductions are processed. While this figure provides clarity on the immediate payroll impact, it does not account for the regional cost of living or the private versus public costs of services. Understanding these figures is the first step in financial planning, though it is not a substitute for professional accounting guidance.

A common mistake when comparing Ottawa to Raleigh is ignoring the different social insurance models embedded in the tax lines. Many observers focus only on the bottom-line take-home amount of C$73,553 without evaluating the implicit benefits of the Canadian deduction stack. Conversely, US-based workers often overlook that state taxes provide different levels of local service funding compared to provincial taxes. The goal here is to emphasize that the payroll line is just one component of a broader economic experience that includes healthcare access and retirement planning.