Atlanta, GA vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Atlanta to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Lancaster 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 $96,291 in Lancaster, PA (−$3,709).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($187 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $18,312 | −$3,768 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,915 | −$11 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,440 | −$75 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,316 | +$660 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,200 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $9,202 | −$1,331 |
| Total | $44,810 | $39,385 | −$5,425 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $222 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $74 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $123 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 50.4 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 2.2 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 60% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |