Charleston, WV vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Charleston to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($148,817 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Charleston 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 Charleston, WV, you'd need about $112,826 in Atlanta, GA (+$12,826).
Livability — Charleston, WV: 77 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,714 sqft in Charleston vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($88 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, WV | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $22,080 | +$6,900 |
| Groceries | $4,767 | $4,926 | +$159 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,515 | +$105 |
| Utilities | $1,740 | $1,656 | −$84 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,100 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $8,230 | $10,533 | +$2,304 |
| Total | $34,627 | $44,810 | +$10,184 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, WV | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.76% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.3% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $148,817 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.7× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $88 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.55% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.12% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.66% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.1 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |