Atlanta, GA vs Santa Cruz, CA
Moving from Atlanta to Santa Cruz? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $1,157,157 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Santa Cruz 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 $112,234 in Santa Cruz, CA (+$12,234).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Santa Cruz, CA: 38 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 648 sqft in Santa Cruz ($187 vs $771 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Santa Cruz, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $43,188 | +$21,108 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $5,247 | +$320 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $5,125 | +$1,610 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $3,804 | +$2,148 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,500 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $22,398 | +$11,865 |
| Total | $44,810 | $81,262 | +$36,451 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Santa Cruz, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 112.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 5.94% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | -1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $6.42 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $1,157,157 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 11.1× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $771 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $3,599 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.63% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |