Atlanta, GA vs Tucson, AZ
Moving from Atlanta to Tucson? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($382,938 → $343,580 median home) and taxes.
Atlanta vs Tucson 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 $94,478 in Tucson, AZ (−$5,522).
Livability — Atlanta, GA: 66 · Tucson, AZ: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Atlanta vs 2,693 sqft in Tucson ($187 vs $186 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Atlanta, GA | Tucson, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,080 | $17,676 | −$4,404 |
| Groceries | $4,926 | $4,841 | −$86 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,960 | +$445 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,668 | +$12 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,800 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,533 | $7,594 | −$2,939 |
| Total | $44,810 | $37,539 | −$7,272 |
Side by side
| Metric | Atlanta, GA | Tucson, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.5 | 94.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.04% | 5.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 3.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.40 |
| Median home price | $382,938 | $343,580 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 5.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $186 |
| Median rent | $1,840 | $1,473 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.85% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 32 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |