Portland, OR vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Portland to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $94,159 in Atlanta, GA (−$5,841).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($325 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $22,080 | +$516 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,926 | −$314 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,515 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,656 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,100 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $10,533 | −$3,849 |
| Total | $47,470 | $44,810 | −$2,660 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $74 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $224 | $123 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $88 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 34 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.7 | 50.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 3.4 | 2.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 48% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |