Atlanta, GA vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Atlanta to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Chicago 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 Atlanta, GA, you'd need about $101,995 in Chicago, IL (+$1,995).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($187 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $27,192 | +$5,112 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $5,215 | +$289 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,550 | +$35 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,208 | +$552 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,900 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $14,141 | +$3,608 |
| Total | $44,810 | $54,206 | +$9,396 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $208 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 2.11% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 15 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |