St. Louis, MO → Atlanta, GA
Moving to Atlanta costs you $160 a month
−$1,920 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | St. Louis | Atlanta | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,896 | +$313 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,905 | $2,000 | +$96 |
| Take-home pay | $5,679 | $5,896 | +$217 |
| Rent | $1,144 | $1,399 | +$255 |
| Getting around | $545 | $580 | +$35 |
| Groceries | $368 | $392 | +$24 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $441 | +$27 |
| Utilities | $230 | $245 | +$15 |
| Everything else | $322 | $343 | +$21 |
| Left over | $2,656 | $2,496 | −$160 |
To break even in Atlanta, you'd need to earn
$97,500
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as St. Louis does now.
The tax difference alone
−$35
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.1% in St. Louis, 25.3% in Atlanta.
St. Louis, MO in full
The lowest home prices of any metro over 2 million people.
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 → St. Louis →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.