2026 Compare Cities Rankings:
Aptos, CA vs Cary, NC

#18 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#27 Best Green Cities

#41 America's Best and Worst Cities for Crime (Mid-Size Metro Areas)

#124 2005 Best Places to Live

#8 Most Competitive Public Colleges

#16 Best Green Cities

#18 Most Competitive Private Colleges

#68 Most Comfortable Summer Cities

I have owned a home in Aptos for 10 years and cannot thing of anywhere else I would rather live. I have lived in San Diego, Orange County, Half Moon Bay, and other  More

Well, Aptos is in Santa Cruz County, California. I love the entire county of Santa Cruz. The weather is fantastic. We have both the beautiful Monterey Bay with lots  More

We've lived in Aptos/Rio Del Mar for many years and it's a very lovely, peaceful village far from the rat race . The views of the ocean are stunning and the shopping in  More

Cary is up-and-coming “cool.” The downtown is revitalized and growing. The town takes urban planning very seriously. The home prices have definitely spiked in the last  More

I've lived in NY, CT, MA, and in Miami FL. Now here in Cary NC for the past 10 years. For what I want and need at this phase of my life, I really like it here! All the  More

As a Real Estate Agent, I consider Cary the most central location in the Triangle, it basically takes you twenty minutes to get to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough,   More