Atlanta vs Dalton leftover
Moving to Dalton costs you $571 a month
$1,911/mo leftover in Dalton vs $2,482 in Atlanta after tax and rent ($571 less). −$6,852 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
Dalton leftover
$1,911
−$571 vs Atlanta
Compare Atlanta to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Atlanta.
Monthly gap
Atlanta → Dalton
$571
less / month in Atlanta
$1,911 in Dalton · $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, 153 households moved Atlanta → Dalton (avg AGI $61,150). 122 went the other way. The whole move →
−$571 / mo
| Per month | Atlanta | Dalton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,875 | $6,581 | −$1,294 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,993 | $1,542 | −$451 |
| Take-home pay | $5,882 | $5,039 | −$843 |
| Rent | $1,399 | $1,124 | −$275 |
| Getting around | $580 | $606 | +$26 |
| Groceries | $392 | $386 | −$6 |
| Healthcare | $441 | $434 | −$7 |
| Utilities | $245 | $241 | −$4 |
| Everything else | $343 | $337 | −$6 |
| Left over | $2,482 | $1,911 | −$571 |
To break even in Dalton, you'd need to earn
$89,500
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
+$806
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.3% in Atlanta, 23.4% in Dalton.
More about Dalton
Atlanta, GA in full
Big-city pay at mid-market housing costs, with a 31-minute average commute.
Dalton, GA in full
A flat 5.19% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,338 and 211 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Dalton on Dalton wages.
Dalton → Atlanta →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Dalton than Atlanta?
A one-bedroom is about $1,399 in Atlanta versus $1,124 in Dalton. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $571 a month lower in Dalton. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Dalton have state income tax?
Dalton is in Georgia, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Atlanta to Dalton?
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 Dalton 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.