The document summarizes key findings about the cost of living in Metro Atlanta compared to other major metro areas: - Metro Atlanta's overall cost of living is slightly above the national average, with a cost of living index score of 101.3. Housing costs are higher in Atlanta than some peer cities, but utility costs are much lower, offsetting the higher housing costs. - The salaries needed to maintain an equivalent standard of living on a $50,000 salary vary greatly between metro areas. A similar salary in New York would need to be over $120,000, while in Dallas it would need to be just over $53,000. - Housing, both home prices and rents, are a major

1. Atlanta Regional Commission, July 2021
For more information, contact:
MCarnathan@atlantaregional.org
Regional Snapshot:
The Cost of Living in Metro Atlanta
Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

2. In Summary…
Metro Atlanta’s overall cost-of-living is slightly above the national average. New York City, not
surprisingly, has the highest cost of living.
Someone in metro Atlanta with a $50,000 salary moving to New York would need to make
$121,200 to have equivalent spending power. A move to San Francisco, requires $96,100, and
a move to Dallas requires $53,300.
Atlanta’s cost of living related to housing is slightly higher than some of its peer metros, but
this is offset by its comparatively cheaper utility costs.
When considering individual items, groceries in metro Atlanta are 5 percent more
expensive than in the average metro area, but utilities are 15.4 percent less expensive.

3. Cost of Living for 25 Most Populous Metros
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER),
2020 Annual Cost of Living Index (COLI) & ACS 2019 1-year release
88.1
92.9
93.7
95.3
95.9
97.7
101.3
102.4
102.9
105.2
107.9
109.8
111.9
113.6
116.3
123.1
124.1
133.9
143.2
148.0
150.2
157.2
159.3
194.6
245.5
0 50 100 150 200 250
St. Louis MO
San Antonio TX
Orlando FL
Houston TX
Tampa FL
Charlotte NC
Atlanta GA
Phoenix AZ
Detroit MI
Minneapolis MN
Dallas TX
Baltimore MD
Philadelphia PA
Denver CO
Miami FL
Sacramento CA
Chicago IL
Portland OR
San Diego CA
Los Angeles CA
Boston MA
Seattle WA
Washington DC
San Francisco CA
New York (Manhattan) NY
Average cost of living, 2020
Every year, the Council for Community and
Economic Research (C2ER) creates a Cost of
Living Index (COLI) for more than 270 U.S.
metro areas and their central cities. A COLI
score of 100 represents the average cost of
living in the cities it studies.
The chart to the left shows the COLI score for
country’s 25 most populous metros. With a
score of 101.3, the Atlanta metro is on par
with the country’s average cost of living. For
many years, the Atlanta metro area and its
central city have hovered around a score of
100.
Upcoming slides take a closer look at
differences in the cost of living in these
metros.

4. Atlanta Consumer Price Over Time
(2000 = 100)
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Atlanta MSA Consumer Price Index (CPI)
2000-2020
Overall Food Housing Medical Transp
COLI offers a point-in-time measure and
comparison for the cost of living in our cities.
While Atlanta may rank near average year after
year, it does not mean that our cost of living
hasn’t increased. This chart shows that Atlanta’s
Consumer Price Index has increased by 40
percent since 2000, and the cost of medical and
food goods have seen the greatest increase.
Medical: 185
Food: 158
Housing: 152
Overall: 145
Transportation: 144

5. Mapping Cost of Living
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
Lowest
Highest Over time, COLI scores
have shown some
distinct patterns, with
metros in the
Northeast, California
and Northwest typically
seeing higher costs of
living than other parts
of the country.

6. Income needed for equivalent of $50,000 in Atlanta
$43,500
$45,900
$46,200
$47,000
$47,300
$48,200
$50,000
$50,500
$50,800
$51,900
$53,300
$54,200
$55,200
$56,100
$57,400
$60,800
$61,300
$66,100
$70,700
$73,100
$74,100
$77,600
$78,600
$96,100
$121,200
$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000 $140,000
St. Louis MO
San Antonio TX
Orlando FL
Houston TX
Tampa FL
Charlotte NC
Atlanta GA
Phoenix AZ
Detroit MI
Minneapolis MN
Dallas TX
Baltimore MD
Philadelphia PA
Denver CO
Miami FL
Sacramento CA
Chicago IL
Portland OR
San Diego CA
Los Angeles CA
Boston MA
Seattle WA
Washington DC
San Francisco CA
New York (Manhattan) NY
This chart shows the salary equivalent needed in
the most populous 25 metros to have the
equivalent spending power of someone making
$50,000 in Atlanta. We can see that a New
Yorker living in the Manhattan area would need
to make 142 percent more income to have the
equivalent of a $50,000 salary in our metro.
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI

7. 245.5
194.6
159.3
101.3 93.7 92.9 88.1
0.0
100.0
200.0
300.0
400.0
500.0
600.0
New York (Manhattan) NY San Francisco CA Washington DC Atlanta GA Orlando FL San Antonio TX St. Louis MO
Composite Grocery Housing Utilities Transportation HealthCare Misc
Comparing highest vs. lowest COLI in the 25 most
populous metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
Three highest COLI metros Three lowest COLI metros
In comparing the cost of living among the
most expensive and least expensive of the
25 most populous metros, we can see that
housing plays a large role in the overall
index score. While the index score for
consumer products in the high-COLI cities is
higher than in lower-COLI cities, the largest
variation occurs in housing expenditures.

8. 101.3 97.7
107.9
95.3 96.7
159.3
0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
300.0
Atlanta GA Charlotte NC Dallas TX Houston TX Nashville-Murfreesboro TN Washington DC
Composite Grocery Housing Utilities Transportation HealthCare Misc
Here, we’ve compared Atlanta’s COLI scores to those of its
peer metros as defined by ARC’s CATLYST regional
economic strategy. Again, we can see the role that housing
plays in higher and lower costs of living. We can also see
how low Atlanta’s cost of utilities are compared to our
peer metros, which offsets some of our higher scores in
other categories.
Cost of Living Comparison:
Peer Metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI

9. Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI; & ACS 2019 1-year release
Relationship Between Income and Cost of Living
Index Score
Median
Household
Income
* New York is excluded due to having multiple COLI indexes for different parts of its metro area
Another way of thinking about cost of living is how far your
can stretch every dollar of your salary. Here, we’re
comparing median income for the 25 most populous
metros to their COLI score. If a city appears above the
trend line, middle income in this metro is more able to
absorb its cost of living. As we can see, Atlanta is just
barely above the line.

10. Average Home Price: 25 Largest Metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
$262,641
$271,143
$294,196
$297,296
$278,508
$380,418
$362,970
$351,019
$386,294
$371,745
$412,535
$426,075
$530,852
$447,771
$484,470
$537,912
$623,494
$797,634
$841,834
$744,522
$854,748
$1,020,885
$1,362,163
$2,227,806
$- $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000
St. Louis MO
San Antonio TX
Orlando FL
Houston TX
Tampa FL
Atlanta GA
Phoenix AZ
Detroit MI
Minneapolis MN
Dallas TX
Baltimore MD
Philadelphia PA
Denver CO
Miami FL
Sacramento CA
Chicago IL
Portland OR
San Diego CA
Los Angeles CA
Boston MA
Seattle WA
Washington DC
San Francisco CA
New York (Manhattan) NY
In looking at C2ER’s measure of average home prices
for the 2020 COLI, we can see that it follows a curve
similar to the overall COLI score. This underscores the
large role that home value plays in a metro area’s cost
of living. However, we can also see the influence of
other COLI measures: The Boston metro, for instance,
has a lower average home price than the L.A. metro,
but it has a higher COLI score.

11. Average Monthly Apartment Rent: 25 Largest Metros
$887
$1,396
$1,148
$1,119
$1,296
$1,245
$1,639
$1,247
$1,204
$1,705
$1,644
$1,517
$1,545
$2,208
$1,948
$2,334
$2,459
$2,351
$2,775
$3,157
$2,680
$3,033
$4,098
$4,738
$- $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,000
St. Louis MO
San Antonio TX
Orlando FL
Houston TX
Tampa FL
Atlanta GA
Phoenix AZ
Detroit MI
Minneapolis MN
Dallas TX
Baltimore MD
Philadelphia PA
Denver CO
Miami FL
Sacramento CA
Chicago IL
Portland OR
San Diego CA
Los Angeles CA
Boston MA
Seattle WA
Washington DC
San Francisco CA
New York (Manhattan) NY
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
The COLI housing index looks at additional
measures of housing costs, including average
monthly rent. Here we can see that there is
much more variability in rent in the country’s
25 most populous metros. This is another
testament to the importance of the cost of
homeownership when it comes to
determining a metro area’s cost of living.

12. Cost of Select Groceries for Selected Metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
Three
highest
COLI
metros
Three
lowest
COLI
Metros*
To develop COLI scores, C2ER researches the cost of basic groceries and household
goods. Here we can see that Atlantans are getting a comparative bargain on eggs
and sugar, but not so much when it comes to wine…
*Of the 25 most populous metros

13. Cost of Select Medicals for Selected Metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
Three
highest
COLI
metros
Three
lowest
COLI
metros
… When it comes to medical care expenses, Atlantans are spending above average,
but if you have a headache or muscle pain, the ibuprofen will cost you a lot less
than in other metros …
*Of the 25 most populous metros

14. Cost of Select Other Items for Selected Metros
Source: C2ER, 2020 Annual COLI
Three
highest
COLI
metros
Three
lowest
COLI
metros
… And, finally, as anyone who’s talked to friends outside the Atlanta area probably
knows, we’re spending a lot less on our power bills than residents in other metros
around the country.
*Of the 25 most populous metros

15. Southern Region Consumer Expenditure by Income
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index
12.9% 15.7% 14.9% 14.5% 14.3% 13.4% 12.3% 12.0% 11.5% 10.6%
31.8%
39.8%
36.5%
33.8% 33.2% 32.2% 31.0% 30.7% 29.2% 28.6%
8.5%
8.7%
10.8%
10.0% 9.8%
8.9%
8.5% 8.4%
7.3%
6.4%
18.1%
17.2% 18.2%
20.4%
18.1% 20.4%
20.0% 18.3%
17.2%
14.5%
28.6%
18.6% 19.6% 21.3% 24.6% 25.0% 28.1% 30.6%
34.8%
39.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Total
south
Less
than
$15,000
$15,000
to
$29,999
$30,000
to
$39,999
$40,000
to
$49,999
$50,000
to
$69,999
$70,000
to
$99,999
$100,000
to
$149,999
$150,000
to
$199,999
$200,000
and
more
Percent Share of Average Expenditures by Income Before Taxes,
Southern Region Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2018-2019
Food Housing Healthcare Transportation Other
It’s important to remember that
even though living in Atlanta isn’t
comparatively expensive,
affordability is a relative term. This
chart shows the percent of income
that people of different brackets
devote to different expenses.
It’s easy to see that the “other”
category increases as disposable
income increases. While this may
seem intuitive since the remaining
categories are needs as opposed to
wants. However, the largest
expenditure category for the
$200,000+ set is life/personal
insurance and pensions/social
security, which many would argue
does not qualify as a want.