Albany, NY vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Albany to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($370,533 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Albany vs Atlanta at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Albany, NY, you'd need about $102,347 in Atlanta, GA (+$2,347).
Livability — Albany, NY: 58 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,159 sqft in Albany vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($232 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Albany, NY | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,172 | $22,080 | +$1,908 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,926 | +$58 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,515 | −$380 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,656 | −$1,524 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,100 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $18,849 | $10,533 | −$8,316 |
| Total | $52,564 | $44,810 | −$7,754 |
Side by side
| Metric | Albany, NY | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.97% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.3% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $370,533 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.5% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $232 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,681 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.95% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |