Cost of living in Atlanta, GA
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area (6,409,047 people) ranks #64 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Atlanta with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Atlanta to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from New York, NY, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Atlanta: $81,200
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $81,200 in Atlanta, GA to match $100,000 in New York, NY ($18,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses New York and Georgia state income tax; includes New York City resident tax $3,441 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Atlanta
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Atlanta
On a $90,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $68,403 after 2026 federal tax ($10,970), Social Security and Medicare ($6,885) and Georgia income tax ($3,743).
Housing
| Measure | Atlanta area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,770/mo |
| Median home value | $402,100 |
| Median property tax | $3,254/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,535 |
| Median household income | $92,344 |
Climate and jobs in Atlanta
In the Atlanta area the average January low is 36°F and the average July high 90°F, and the area has about 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $51,170 a year, about the same as the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 36°F |
| July high | 90°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 47 a year |
| Precipitation | 50 in a year |
| Snowfall | 2.2 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $51,170 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 2.9 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport station (USW00013874). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Atlanta
A single retiree spends about $3,210 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,421 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Atlanta
- Atlanta to New York
- Atlanta to Miami
- Atlanta to Dallas
- Atlanta to Washington, D.C.
- Atlanta to Los Angeles
- Atlanta to Tampa
- Atlanta to Houston
- Atlanta to Chicago
- New York to Atlanta
- Miami to Atlanta
- Los Angeles to Atlanta
- Chicago to Atlanta
- Washington, D.C. to Atlanta
- Dallas to Atlanta
- Orlando to Atlanta
- Tampa to Atlanta
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Atlanta area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 83.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $239 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Georgia.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Atlanta?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $79,700 in Atlanta. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $70,800, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $108,622.
Is Atlanta expensive?
The Atlanta metro area's price level is 100.1 (U.S. = 100), #64 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 111.0, 11% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Atlanta?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Atlanta had a net gain of about 6,470 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Atlanta?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Atlanta area (Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport weather station), the average January low is 36°F and the average July high 90°F. The area has about 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 50 inches of precipitation a year and about 2.2 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Atlanta?
The Atlanta metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $51,170 a year in May 2025, about the same as the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Atlanta?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 83.5). The highest relative risks are tornado, lightning, hail.
Compare Atlanta with other cities
Moving from Atlanta to…
Cities with similar prices
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Moving from Georgia