Columbia, SC vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Columbia to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,154 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Columbia 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 Columbia, SC, you'd need about $107,786 in Atlanta, GA (+$7,786).
Livability — Columbia, SC: 69 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Columbia vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($128 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbia, SC | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,444 | $22,080 | +$3,636 |
| Groceries | $4,797 | $4,926 | +$129 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,515 | +$50 |
| Utilities | $1,848 | $1,656 | −$192 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $2,100 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $10,215 | $10,533 | +$318 |
| Total | $40,769 | $44,810 | +$4,041 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbia, SC | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.2 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.71% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.30 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $256,154 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,537 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.44% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.40% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,500 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.33% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.1 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.05 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 530 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 36 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |