Moving from Anchorage to Atlanta

Moving to Atlanta costs you $317 a month

−$3,804 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Anchorage leftover

$2,806

a month after tax and rent

Atlanta leftover

$2,489

−$317 vs Anchorage

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Anchorage, AK and Atlanta, GA
Per monthAnchorageAtlantaDifference
Gross pay$8,167$7,886−$281
Income and payroll tax$1,723$1,997+$274
Take-home pay$6,444$5,889−$555
Rent$1,346$1,399+$53
Getting around$636$580−$56
Groceries$457$392−$65
Healthcare$514$441−$73
Utilities$286$245−$41
Everything else$400$343−$57
Left over$2,806$2,489−$317

To break even in Atlanta, you'd need to earn

$100,500

Household gross, versus $98,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Anchorage does now.

The tax difference alone

−$4,288

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.1% in Anchorage, 25.3% in Atlanta.

More about Atlanta

Anchorage, AK in full

No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,602 and 138 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.

Atlanta, GA in full

Big-city pay at mid-market housing costs, with a 31-minute average commute.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Atlanta on Atlanta wages.

AtlantaAnchorage

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Atlanta than Anchorage?

A one-bedroom is about $1,346 in Anchorage versus $1,399 in Atlanta. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $317 a month lower in Atlanta. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Atlanta have state income tax?

Atlanta is in Georgia, which taxes wage income.

What changes if you move from Anchorage to Atlanta?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Georgia tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.