Atlanta, GA vs Portland, OR
Moving from Atlanta to Portland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $552,022 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Portland 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 $106,203 in Portland, OR (+$6,203).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Portland, OR: 55 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 1,540 sqft in Portland ($187 vs $325 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Portland, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $21,564 | −$516 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $5,240 | +$314 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,680 | +$165 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,704 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $900 | −$1,200 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $14,382 | +$3,849 |
| Total | $44,810 | $47,470 | +$2,660 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Portland, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 106.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 5.06% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $6.07 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $552,022 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 6.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | -1.1% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $325 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,797 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.92% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |