Salem, OR vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Salem to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($454,689 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Salem 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 Salem, OR, you'd need about $98,069 in Atlanta, GA (−$1,931).
Livability — Salem, OR: 59 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,869 sqft in Salem vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($268 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salem, OR | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,536 | $22,080 | +$2,544 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $4,926 | −$313 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,515 | −$165 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,656 | −$48 |
| Insurance | $900 | $2,100 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $13,135 | $10,533 | −$2,602 |
| Total | $44,194 | $44,810 | +$616 |
Side by side
| Metric | Salem, OR | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 35 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $454,689 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,628 | $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 | 0.90% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |