Athens vs Rome leftover
You'd keep $340 more a month in Rome
$1,942/mo leftover in Rome vs $1,602 in Athens after tax and rent ($340 more). +$4,080 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Athens leftover
$1,602
a month after tax and rent
Rome leftover
$1,942
+$340 vs Athens
Compare Athens to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Athens.
Monthly gap
Athens → Rome
$340
more / month in Rome
$1,942 in Rome · $1,602 in Athens · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
+$340 / mo
| Per month | Athens | Rome | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,250 | $6,438 | +$188 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,427 | $1,492 | +$65 |
| Take-home pay | $4,823 | $4,945 | +$122 |
| Rent | $1,297 | $1,010 | −$287 |
| Getting around | $527 | $595 | +$68 |
| Groceries | $386 | $386 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $434 | $434 | $0 |
| Utilities | $241 | $241 | $0 |
| Everything else | $337 | $337 | $0 |
| Left over | $1,602 | $1,942 | +$340 |
To break even in Rome, you'd need to earn
$71,000
Household gross, versus $75,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Athens does now.
The tax difference alone
−$117
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.8% in Athens, 23.2% in Rome.
More about Rome
Athens, GA in full
A flat 5.19% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,544 and 210 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
Rome, GA in full
A flat 5.19% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,202 and 213 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Rome on Rome wages.
Rome → Athens →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Rome than Athens?
A one-bedroom is about $1,297 in Athens versus $1,010 in Rome. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $340 a month higher in Rome. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Rome have state income tax?
Rome is in Georgia, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Athens to Rome?
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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Athens and Rome moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.