Atlanta, GA vs Reno, NV
Moving from Atlanta to Reno? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $570,546 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Reno 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 $97,556 in Reno, NV (−$2,444).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Reno, NV: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 1,665 sqft in Reno ($187 vs $300 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Reno, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $23,736 | +$1,656 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,841 | −$85 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $4,740 | +$1,225 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,548 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,300 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $5,060 | −$5,473 |
| Total | $44,810 | $41,225 | −$3,585 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Reno, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 98.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 9.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $570,546 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $300 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,978 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
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