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Atlanta vs Tampa

Atlanta, GA  ·  Tampa, FL

TL;DR

Atlanta cost-of-living index is 113 vs 108 for Tampa (US = 100). Median home: $385,000 vs $390,000. Median rent: $1,576/mo vs $1,435/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-04-19

⚖️

Tampa is 4% cheaper than Atlanta overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-04-19

Home Price

Atlanta: $385,000

Tampa: $390,000

Monthly Rent

Atlanta: $1,576/mo

Tampa: $1,435/mo

COL Index

Atlanta: 113

Tampa: 108

Median Income

Atlanta: $71,400

Tampa: $63,800

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Atlanta
Tampa
Winner
🏠

Median Home Price

$385,000
$390,000
Atlanta
🏢

Monthly Rent (Median)

$1,576/mo
$1,435/mo
Tampa
💰

Median Household Income

$71,400
$63,800
Atlanta
📋

Property Tax Rate

0.92%
0.91%
Tampa
📊

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

113
108
Tampa
🚗

Avg. Commute

31 min
27 min
Tampa
📈

Unemployment Rate

3.7%
3.3%
Tampa
👥

Median Age

34.8 yrs
39.2 yrs
Tampa

What This Means For You

💵

Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Atlanta has the same purchasing power as $95,575 in Tampa — based on each city's cost of living index.

🏠

Housing

Homes in Tampa are 1% cheaper (-$5,000 less). That's a significant down payment and monthly payment difference.

🏢

Renting

Renting in Tampa saves you $141/month — $1,692 per year. Median rent: $1,576/mo in Atlanta vs $1,435/mo in Tampa.

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Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Atlanta owners pay roughly $3,542/year in property taxes vs $3,549/year in Tampa. Rates are comparable.

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Local Earnings

Median household income is $71,400 in Atlanta and $63,800 in Tampa. Tampa residents earn 11% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.

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Daily Commute

Average commute is 31 minutes in Atlanta vs 27 minutes in Tampa. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Atlanta to Tampa, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in AtlantaEquivalent in TampaDifference
$50,000$47,788-$2,212
$75,000$71,681-$3,319
$100,000$95,575-$4,425
$150,000$143,363-$6,637
$200,000$191,150-$8,850

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

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Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

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Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

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Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

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Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Atlanta or Tampa

Atlanta Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Atlanta→ Rent vs buy in Atlanta

Tampa Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Tampa→ Rent vs buy in Tampa

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Atlanta vs Tampa: Common Questions

Is Atlanta or Tampa cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Tampa is cheaper overall. Atlanta has a COL index of 113 while Tampa scores 108 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Atlanta and Tampa?

The median home price in Atlanta is $385,000 vs $390,000 in Tampa — a difference of $5,000 (1%).

What salary do I need in Tampa to match my Atlanta income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Atlanta is equivalent to $95,575 in Tampa in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Tampa has a lower property tax rate (0.91% vs 0.92%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $3,542/year vs $3,549/year.

How does rent compare in Atlanta vs Tampa?

Median monthly rent: $1,576 in Atlanta vs $1,435 in Tampa. Annualized: $18,912 vs $17,220.

What is the median household income in each city?

Atlanta: $71,400/yr. Tampa: $63,800/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Tampa typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-04-19.