Cost of living in Atlanta research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Atlanta is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Georgia, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Atlanta is 107, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Atlanta is 1.1x higher than the national average.
Atlanta ranks as the #132 cheapest in Georgia out of 154.
Atlanta ranks as the #3,867 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Atlanta is $346,600.
The median income in Atlanta is $69,164.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Atlanta has an overall cost of living index of 107, which is 1.1x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to Georgia, Atlanta has a cost of living index that's 1.2x higher than Georgia's index of 89.
The standard of living in Atlanta ranks as #132 most affordable out of the 154 places we measured in Georgia. By definition, that implies Atlanta ranks as the #22 most expensive place in the Peach State.
For more reading on life in Atlanta, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Atlanta. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Atlanta is 102.
The Groceries index in Atlanta is 106.
The Health index in Atlanta is 100.
The Housing index in Atlanta is 116.
The Transportation index in Atlanta is 104.
The Utilities index in Atlanta is 85.
Living Expense | Atlanta | Georgia | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 107 | 89 | 100 | |
Services | 102 | 95 | 100 | |
Groceries | 106 | 96 | 100 | |
Health | 100 | 98 | 100 | |
Housing | 116 | 76 | 100 | |
Transportation | 104 | 90 | 100 | |
Utilities | 85 | 86 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Georgia, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Atlanta is $346,600.
The Median Rent in Atlanta is $1,342.
The Median Income in Atlanta is $69,164.
The Home Value To Income in Atlanta is 5.0x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Atlanta is 0.23x.
Statistic | Atlanta | Georgia | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $346,600 | $206,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,342 | $1,110 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $69,164 | $65,030 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.0x | 3.2x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.23x | 0.2x | 0.2x |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Atlanta. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Sandy Springs, GA has a cost of living index of 130, 1.2x Atlanta.
Roswell, GA has a cost of living index of 116, 1.1x Atlanta.
Smyrna, GA has a cost of living index of 106, 1.0x Atlanta.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Atlanta |
---|---|---|---|
Sandy Springs, GA | 106,605 | 130 | 1.2x |
Roswell, GA | 92,688 | 116 | 1.1x |
Smyrna, GA | 55,460 | 106 | 1.0x |
Dunwoody, GA | 51,103 | 124 | 1.2x |
Mableton, GA | 41,632 | 98 | 0.9x |
East Point, GA | 37,895 | 91 | 0.9x |
Decatur, GA | 24,334 | 124 | 1.2x |
North Druid Hills, GA | 18,143 | 117 | 1.1x |
North Decatur, GA | 16,369 | 109 | 1.0x |
College Park, GA | 14,032 | 93 | 0.9x |