Atlanta, GA vs Rochester, NY
Moving from Atlanta to Rochester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $285,034 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Rochester 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 $97,918 in Rochester, NY (−$2,082).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Rochester, NY: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,807 sqft in Rochester ($187 vs $178 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Rochester, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $19,164 | −$2,916 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,868 | −$58 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,895 | +$380 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $3,180 | +$1,524 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,600 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $18,722 | +$8,189 |
| Total | $44,810 | $51,429 | +$6,619 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Rochester, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 98.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $285,034 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 4.7% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $178 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,597 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 2.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |