Medical Assistants salary in Atlanta, GA
Median pay for medical assistants in Atlanta, GA: $39,720/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $35,300 – $49,110 · about 14,490 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$555 (+1%).
What it's really worth in Atlanta
With Atlanta's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $39,720 has the buying power of about $39,530 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $82,625 · median home $382,938 · median rent $1,840/mo.
How Atlanta ranks for this job
On raw pay, Atlanta, GA is 80th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Atlanta's cost of living is applied, it ranks 127th.
The headline number flatters Atlanta. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, medical assistants here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Atlanta
A median home in Atlanta, GA costs $382,938 — about 9.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,840/mo works out at 56% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where medical assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Atlanta.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Atlanta | Rent vs Atlanta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +88% | 1.3× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +52% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +50% | 1.8× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +50% | 1.2× |
Same job elsewhere in GA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Atlanta | Rent vs Atlanta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah, GA | $37,440 | −6% | 1× |
| Augusta, GA | $36,290 | −9% | 0.8× |
| Columbus, GA | $35,250 | −11% | 0.7× |
Staying in GA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Atlanta
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.