Atlanta vs Athens leftover
Moving to Athens costs you $888 a month
$1,594/mo leftover in Athens vs $2,482 in Atlanta after tax and rent ($888 less). −$10,656 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Atlanta leftover
$2,482
a month after tax and rent
Athens leftover
$1,594
−$888 vs Atlanta
Compare Atlanta to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Atlanta.
Monthly gap
Atlanta → Athens
$888
less / month in Atlanta
$1,594 in Athens · $2,482 in Atlanta · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 1,756 households moved Atlanta → Athens (avg AGI $59,748). 1,879 went the other way. The whole move →
−$888 / mo
| Per month | Atlanta | Athens | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,875 | $6,238 | −$1,637 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,993 | $1,422 | −$570 |
| Take-home pay | $5,882 | $4,815 | −$1,067 |
| Rent | $1,399 | $1,297 | −$102 |
| Getting around | $580 | $527 | −$53 |
| Groceries | $392 | $386 | −$6 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $434 | −$7 |
| Utilities | $245 | $241 | −$4 |
| Everything else | $343 | $337 | −$6 |
| Left over | $2,482 | $1,594 | −$888 |
To break even in Athens, you'd need to earn
$91,000
Household gross, versus $94,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Atlanta does now.
The tax difference alone
+$1,020
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.3% in Atlanta, 22.8% in Athens.
More about Athens
Atlanta, GA in full
Big-city pay at mid-market housing costs, with a 31-minute average commute.
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.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Athens on Athens wages.
Athens → Atlanta →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Athens than Atlanta?
A one-bedroom is about $1,399 in Atlanta versus $1,297 in Athens. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $888 a month lower in Athens. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Athens have state income tax?
Athens is in Georgia, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Atlanta to Athens?
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 Atlanta and Athens 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.