Chattanooga, TN → Atlanta, GA
Moving to Atlanta costs you $60 a month
−$720 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 368 households moved Chattanooga → Atlanta (avg AGI $85,120). 548 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Chattanooga | Atlanta | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $7,897 | +$938 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,364 | $2,000 | +$636 |
| Take-home pay | $5,594 | $5,896 | +$302 |
| Rent | $1,150 | $1,399 | +$249 |
| Getting around | $554 | $580 | +$26 |
| Groceries | $368 | $392 | +$24 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $441 | +$27 |
| Utilities | $230 | $245 | +$15 |
| Everything else | $322 | $343 | +$21 |
| Left over | $2,556 | $2,496 | −$60 |
To break even in Atlanta, you'd need to earn
$96,000
Household gross, versus $83,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Chattanooga does now.
The tax difference alone
−$4,295
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.6% in Chattanooga, 25.3% in Atlanta.
More about Atlanta
Chattanooga, TN in full
World-class climbing and paddling, no income tax, municipal fiber.
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.
Atlanta → Chattanooga →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.