Atlanta may have cheap rents but... (Buckhead: for rent, houses, transfer)

[bahiabrazil]

Atlanta may have cheap rents but arent wages lower? Its funny how these things even out from city to city no matter how cheap or expensive. I have been looking into moving to Atlanta from Chicago. Mostly because of location and affordability but i find this observation interesting. I am a manager at a retail store with a decent pay in Chicago but this same store in Atlanta pays less. Is this correct on most jobs?

[Staysean23]

Originally Posted by bahiabrazil

Atlanta may have cheap rents but arent wages lower? Its funny how these things even out from city to city no matter how cheap or expensive. I have been looking into moving to Atlanta from Chicago. Mostly because of location and affordability but i find this observation interesting. I am a manager at a retail store with a decent pay in Chicago but this same store in Atlanta pays less. Is this correct on most jobs?

Nope my friend from DC kept his same pay. He works for federal government. His 80k a year goes along way there in Atlanta

[AtlantaIsHot]

It isn't just rents. The average home price is among the lowest in the country. You can buy houses for a lot less in the south, even in the city itself. For example, the cost of a similar sized home that costs $250,000 in Atlanta would cost you at least $450,000-800,000 in Fairfax county (DC area) Va. The median home price in Fairfax county, Va. is $494,000 while the median home price in Cobb county, Ga. is $203,000. The cost of everything is generally lower in the sunbelt. Generally lower tax burden is also a factor.

[hautemomma]

Yes, the wages here are less than comparable cities. Some will justify it by the cost of living, but other similarly priced cities do tend to pay more. I've been stunned by how companies low-ball here.

[jsvh]

Some salaries are slightly lower in Atlanta. But the lower cost of living more than offsets that.

Heck, you can buy a place to live in the center of downtown Atlanta for $100k.

Cost of living: How far will my salary go in another city? - CNNMoney

Where Paychecks Go the Furthest: 20 Best and Worst Cities - The Atlantic

[sedimenjerry]

I've seen COL adjustments for companies or govt agencies that do not make up the difference.

[flamadiddle]

Depends on Industry. IT pays very well here, actually a little more than Chicago.

[magnetar]

Definitely depends on the industry. In the corner of the tech industry I'm familiar with, people in Atlanta are paid comparatively with other cities our size. New York, SF, LA, Chicago may have higher cost of living compensation, as they're some of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Definitely depends on the industry. In the corner of the tech industry I'm familiar with, people in Atlanta are paid comparatively with other cities our size. New York, SF, LA, Chicago may have higher cost of living compensation, as they're some of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.

I agree that depending on the industry that the salaries can be about the same. Also, I don't know anyone who has transferred here from IT to nursing who was asked to take a pay cut. A transfer is not the same as an independent relocation and the latter's salary would depend on the individual's negotiation skills.

The prices for buying in certain parts of California or New York are higher than some parts of Georgia. Keep it real though, there really is not that much of a difference. The average price of an entire state is a bogus method of comparison. At least use the median price for specific areas within the state.

It would be like saying like the price of a house in Buckhead in any way reflects the price in some of the places of Atlanta proper that cost significantly less. Now, as for square footage, we definitely have more space. That's one of the draws; everybody is not for being clustered on top of each other so having room to stretch your arms out and breathe is not a negative feature.

That was just about buying, but for renting, there's really no price break here and you can add Chigago the locations to that one. In short, it is not a buyer's or a renter's market in Atlanta right now.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Staysean23

Nope my friend from DC kept his same pay. He works for federal government. His 80k a year goes along way there in Atlanta

The feds are different.