Atlanta, GA vs Little Rock, AR
Moving from Atlanta to Little Rock? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $231,039 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Little Rock 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 $89,082 in Little Rock, AR (−$10,918).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Little Rock, AR: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 4,329 sqft in Little Rock ($187 vs $116 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Little Rock, AR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $14,952 | −$7,128 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,655 | −$271 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,405 | −$110 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,524 | −$132 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $2,800 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $8,521 | −$2,012 |
| Total | $44,810 | $35,856 | −$8,954 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Little Rock, AR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 89.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 4.56% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 2.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $231,039 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 3.5% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $116 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,246 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 9.47% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.70% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $7,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.02% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 14.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 640 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 93 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |