Atlanta, GA vs Fort Wayne, IN
Moving from Atlanta to Fort Wayne? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $259,816 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Fort Wayne 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 $89,318 in Fort Wayne, IN (−$10,682).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Fort Wayne, IN: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 3,658 sqft in Fort Wayne ($187 vs $137 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Fort Wayne, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $15,168 | −$6,912 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,740 | −$186 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,250 | −$265 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,932 | +$276 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,600 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $6,922 | −$3,611 |
| Total | $44,810 | $33,612 | −$11,198 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Fort Wayne, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 89.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.76% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | -2.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.11 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $259,816 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $137 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,264 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |