Huntsville, AL vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Huntsville to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($316,645 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Huntsville 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 Huntsville, AL, you'd need about $107,112 in Atlanta, GA (+$7,112).
Livability — Huntsville, AL: 68 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,236 sqft in Huntsville vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($155 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Huntsville, AL | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,620 | $22,080 | +$5,460 |
| Groceries | $4,729 | $4,926 | +$197 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,515 | +$50 |
| Utilities | $1,884 | $1,656 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $2,100 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,172 | $10,533 | +$1,362 |
| Total | $38,270 | $44,810 | +$6,541 |
Side by side
| Metric | Huntsville, AL | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.8 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.21% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 11.0% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.34 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $316,645 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $155 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,385 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.25% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.00% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.39% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $7,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.70% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 33 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |