Yakima, WA vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Yakima to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($355,256 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Yakima 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 Yakima, WA, you'd need about $102,634 in Atlanta, GA (+$2,634).
Livability — Yakima, WA: 63 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,533 sqft in Yakima vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($197 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Yakima, WA | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,452 | $22,080 | +$5,628 |
| Groceries | $5,246 | $4,926 | −$319 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,515 | −$560 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,656 | +$108 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,100 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $5,427 | $10,533 | +$5,106 |
| Total | $34,248 | $44,810 | +$10,563 |
Side by side
| Metric | Yakima, WA | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.9 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.24% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.2% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.57 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $355,256 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.9% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $197 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,371 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |