Buffalo, NY vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Buffalo to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo vs Atlanta 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 Buffalo, NY, you'd need about $105,858 in Atlanta, GA (+$5,858).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($180 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $22,080 | +$4,752 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,926 | +$58 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,515 | −$380 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,656 | −$1,524 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,100 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $10,533 | −$7,659 |
| Total | $49,063 | $44,810 | −$4,253 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |