Hickory, NC vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Hickory to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($271,739 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Hickory 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 Hickory, NC, you'd need about $112,428 in Atlanta, GA (+$12,428).
Livability — Hickory, NC: 73 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,679 sqft in Hickory vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($136 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Hickory, NC | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,952 | $22,080 | +$4,128 |
| Groceries | $4,840 | $4,926 | +$87 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,515 | +$385 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,656 | −$96 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $2,100 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $7,879 | $10,533 | +$2,654 |
| Total | $37,553 | $44,810 | +$7,258 |
Side by side
| Metric | Hickory, NC | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.52% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 46 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $271,739 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.7× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.3% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $136 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,496 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.69% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |