
Atlanta vs Chattanooga
$74/mo more in Chattanooga
AtlantaChattanoogaAbout 106 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Chattanooga leaves you more
- No state income tax
- Rent under 30% of pay
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,556/mo in Chattanooga. $2,482/mo in Atlanta. +$888 a year.
Atlanta
$2,482
left each month
Chattanooga
$2,556
+$74 vs Atlanta
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 548 households moved Atlanta → Chattanooga (avg AGI $92,091). 368 went the other way. The whole move →
+$74 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Atlanta | Chattanooga | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,875 | $6,939 | −$936 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,993 | $1,359 | −$634 |
| Take-home pay | $5,882 | $5,581 | −$301 |
| Rent | $1,399 | $1,137 | −$262 |
| Getting around | $580 | $554 | −$26 |
| Groceries | $392 | $368 | −$24 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $414 | −$27 |
| Utilities | $245 | $230 | −$15 |
| Everything else | $343 | $322 | −$21 |
| Left over | $2,482 | $2,556 | +$74 |
Salary to match Atlanta
$82,000
Gross pay in Chattanooga that leaves the same amount as $94,500 in Atlanta.
Tax difference
+$4,282
A year, in state and local income tax. Tennessee has no wage income tax.
More about Chattanooga
Atlanta, GA in full
Big-city pay at mid-market housing costs, with a 31-minute average commute.
Chattanooga, TN in full
World-class climbing and paddling, no income tax, municipal fiber.
The other way
Start in Chattanooga.
Chattanooga → Atlanta →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Chattanooga than Atlanta?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Chattanooga leaves about $74 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,399 in Atlanta and $1,137 in Chattanooga.
Does Chattanooga have state income tax?
Chattanooga is in Tennessee, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Atlanta to Chattanooga?
The paycheck is taxed in Tennessee. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Atlanta and Chattanooga changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.