Origin
Cary, NC
Afternoon in Cary on Sunday
Local time
12:10 PM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cary, NC to Raleigh, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
8.7 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 15m
★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cary, NC
C k
Raleigh, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Cary to Raleigh is 8.7 miles and takes about 15m via Western Boulevard/East Chatham Street/Hillsborough Street, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within North Carolina's Southeast region, offering a straightforward local drive. It's ideal for a short hop, connecting two nearby cities without requiring extensive planning. You'll likely find this route convenient for quick errands or moving between these two communities. Given its brevity, it's perfectly suited for a same-day excursion.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Western Boulevard | 4.8 mi | 8m |
| East Chatham Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Hillsborough Street | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Durham Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Wilmington Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Chapel Hill Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Academy Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Western Boulevard
— 4.8 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cary, NC and Raleigh, NC.
1
Start on North Academy Street
24 ft
·
7 sec
·
North Academy Street
2
Turn left onto Chapel Hill Road
254 ft
·
6 sec
·
Chapel Hill Road
3
Turn slight right onto East Durham Road
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
East Durham Road
Use the right lane.
4
Enter roundabout onto East Chatham Street
141 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Chatham Street
5
Continue on East Chatham Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Chatham Street
6
Continue on Hillsborough Street
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Hillsborough Street
7
Continue on Western Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
52 sec
·
Western Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto Western Boulevard
4.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Western Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
9
Continue on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
10
Turn left onto South Wilmington Street
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
South Wilmington Street
11
Turn left onto East South Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
East South Street
12
Arrive at destination
East South Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 8.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Chapel Hill Road
Turn left onto Chapel Hill Road
Navigation decision point
3
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Durham Road
Turn slight right onto East Durham Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
East Chatham Street
Enter roundabout onto East Chatham Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
3.6 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Western Boulevard
Keep slight right at fork onto Western Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
8.7 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
East South Street
Turn left onto East South Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.36 one way
$2.72 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $1.49 | $2.98 |
| premium | $4.70 | $1.61 | $3.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.92 | $3.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
| Efficient EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.76 | $0.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.22 | $0.56 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Raleigh, NC
Afternoon in Raleigh on Sunday
Local time
12:10 PM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
15m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is characterized by its turn-heavy local drive, with no highway miles contributing to its 8.7-mile length. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 4.8 miles on Western Boulevard. As you progress, you'll navigate through a series of main roads including East Chatham Street and Hillsborough Street, indicating a drive that requires attention to traffic signals and intersections. Expect a dynamic driving experience that's more about managing city traffic than covering long distances at high speed.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.8 mi on Western Boulevard.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Chapel Hill Road.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 8.7 miles you will encounter 6 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Chapel Hill Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Durham Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (East Chatham Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
About the Cities
Arriving in Raleigh, NC
Full guide →The capital of North Carolina and the largest city of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is the primary political and economic driver of the metro area. Indeed, business and politics are the main draws to Raleigh, which lacks the more trendy feel or active arts scene of Durham or Chapel Hill to the west. However, a concerted effort to expand the residential base and move events downtown has led to significantly expanded retail and restaurant options in the downtown core. Also, visitors will find many of the state's cultural institutions here, namely a major performing arts center downtown and three state museums, and a college town atmosphere in the neighborhood around the campus of North Carolina State University, the state's largest university.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 8.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.8 miles on Western Boulevard. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Chapel Hill Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Durham Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (East Chatham Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Raleigh, NC before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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