Atlanta, GA vs Lakeland, FL
Moving from Atlanta to Lakeland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $298,816 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Lakeland 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 $97,265 in Lakeland, FL (−$2,735).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Lakeland, FL: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 3,096 sqft in Lakeland ($187 vs $162 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Lakeland, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $22,188 | +$108 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,813 | −$113 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $4,800 | +$1,285 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,656 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $4,200 | +$2,100 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $4,036 | −$6,497 |
| Total | $44,810 | $41,693 | −$3,117 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Lakeland, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.63% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 12.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $298,816 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | -3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $162 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,849 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.73% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |