Origin
Raleigh, NC
Morning in Raleigh on Sunday
Local time
10:35 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Raleigh, NC to Cary, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
16m
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.
Raleigh, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Cary, NC
C k
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick commute between Raleigh and Cary, this 11.7-mile connection is as straightforward as it gets. Expect a travel time of about 14 minutes, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via South Salisbury Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Western Boulevard to reach your destination. With a fuel budget of just $2, the trip is highly economical for any driver. Since both cities are located within the Southeast region of North Carolina, the transit remains entirely local, offering a seamless shift between the two hubs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Western Boulevard | 4.4 mi | 7m |
| Hillsborough Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| East Chatham Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| East Durham Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Salisbury Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Chapel Hill Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East South Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Western Boulevard
— 4.4 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Raleigh, NC and Cary, NC.
1
Start on East South Street
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
East South Street
2
Turn left onto South Salisbury Street
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
South Salisbury Street
3
Turn sharp right onto Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
4
Continue on Western Boulevard
4.4 mi
·
7 min
·
Western Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on SR 1011
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Hillsborough Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Continue on East Chatham Street
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Chatham Street
7
Enter roundabout onto East Durham Road
65 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Durham Road
8
Continue on East Durham Road
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
East Durham Road
9
At end of road, turn left onto Chapel Hill Road
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Chapel Hill Road
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto North Academy Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
North Academy Street
Use the right lane.
11
Arrive at destination
North Academy Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 8.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Salisbury Street
Turn left onto South Salisbury Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
Turn sharp right onto Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
4
8.2 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
East Durham Road
Enter roundabout onto East Durham Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
8.6 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Chapel Hill Road
At end of road, turn left onto Chapel Hill Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
8.7 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
North Academy Street
Turn right onto North Academy Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
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
Cary, NC
Morning in Cary on Sunday
Local time
10:35 AM
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
16m 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 journey is characterized as a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate haul. Because the route maintains a 0% highway share, you will stay off major freeways for the duration of your 11.7-mile trek. You should prepare for frequent adjustments behind the wheel as you transition through city streets. Without any long, uninterrupted stretches of road, the drive requires your full attention on navigating local intersections. It is a practical, utilitarian route that prioritizes direct access over scenic cruising.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.4 mi on Western Boulevard.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near South Salisbury Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 16m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Salisbury Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 8.2 miles (East Durham Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
499 ft
260 ft
Total Climb
260 ft
Total Descent
78 ft
Highest Point
499 ft
~8.1 mi in
Elevation Range
239 ft
About the Cities
Starting 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 16m. Total distance: 8.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
16m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.4 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: at 0.1 miles (South Salisbury Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 8.2 miles (East Durham Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Cary, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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