Atlanta may have cheap rents but... (Smyrna, Alpharetta: middle-class, real estate, cheap apartment)

[bhammaster]

If it all balances out then move to NYC. Why Atlanta?

[waronxmas]

Media pays well too. Definitely depends on industry, or if you seeking new employment vs transferring. The company you work for also matters. If the HQ is elsewhere, you can have worse luck in the salary than if you worked for a major Corp based here.

[Atlanta_BD]

Blue collar jobs pay more in Chicago than Atlanta. You can be blue collar in Chicago and still earn a decent wage. In Atlanta, not so much. And to live some place nice with access to social activities isn't much cheaper in Atlanta and is actually quite expensive. The so-called lower cost of living in Atlanta isn't worth the pay cut to move there. It could end up being a struggle. I did not find Atlanta to be cheaper than Chicago when I left Chicago and moved there. In actuality, I thought Atlanta was quite expensive and could not see the lower cost of living people were talking about compared to Chicago. This is my personal experience.

You also must consider that metro Atlanta does not have good public transportation and lacks sidewalks in many areas. At least in Chicago you can save on the expense of car ownership because you don't need to have one there.

[flamadiddle]

^ True, the only real COL difference between Atlanta and Chicago are the lower taxes in Atlanta/Georgia. Home prices are very similar.

[brownhornet]

The rent really isnt even cheap anymore depending on which area you're in. Rent in Smyrna has skyrocketed the past two years. 3 years ago you could find a nice one bedroom for 650 out here...now you're looking at 850 and steady climbing.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

The rent really isnt even cheap anymore depending on which area you're in. Rent in Smyrna has skyrocketed the past two years. 3 years ago you could find a nice one bedroom for 650 out here...now you're looking at 850 and steady climbing.

There's a disconnect here. A nice area does not necessarily equal a nice complex. You can have high end and low end things going on side by side or back to back in almost every area of the metro. Rent was definitely less expensive three years ago, but you were not going to get a nice place in Smyrna for $650 back then. You could get a place but not a nice place even with one heck of a special.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

^ True, the only real COL difference between Atlanta and Chicago are the lower taxes in Atlanta/Georgia. Home prices are very similar.

This is exactly what I noticed. I also read a study that found that similar houses in comparable neighborhoods in Chicago and Atlanta, the house in Atlanta was a higher price.

Someone moving from Chicago to Atlanta will quickly find that they will be paying the same or even more for housing in Atlanta while earning less money.

People in blue collar jobs in Chicago like the OP should take Atlanta off their radar. They will make considerably less money in Atlanta. A high paying blue collar job in Chicago will get minimum or a low wage in Atlanta.

For example, a maintenance worker in Chicago will easily earn $20 in but will make minimum wage in Atlanta. Housekeepers for major hotel chains in Chicago can make up to $17 an hour and their jobs are union, but they will be non-union minimum wage workers in Atlanta. MARTA bus drivers make $13 an hour. CTA bus drivers make $26-$27 an hour starting out. Atlanta police start at $35k a year and often moonlight as security guards to make ends meet. Chicago cops start at around $62k.

Overall, many blue collar jobs in Chicago are union. You aren't going to get that in the south.

If you are not going into Atlanta as a high-paid, white collar professional, the move is not worth it--especially if you know out of the gate the move means a decrease in pay.

[Plokivos]

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?

Chicago is actually cheaper to live, because nobody wants to freeze to death for six month out of the year.

I worked in DC, and some of the programmers make more money in Atlanta than DC, with slightly cheaper living expense.

So, you should take stay in Chicago. Because, the location isn't like 10 years ago anymore.

Also, if you're managing a retail store, I already know you're either in Union in Chicago, and that's why it's better pay for Atlanta, and you should just stay in Chicago. We've been fine in Atlanta for a number of years without people coming down from NYC, NH, NJ, Chicago, and any other states.

Atlanta isn't welcoming anymore losers. Atlanta is becoming the central core for UX/UI, coders, and desigers, and on top of that, we already have really nice people doing retails.

[brownhornet]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

There's a disconnect here. A nice area does not necessarily equal a nice complex. You can have high end and low end things going on side by side or back to back in almost every area of the metro. Rent was definitely less expensive three years ago, but you were not going to get a nice place in Smyrna for $650 back then. You could get a place but not a nice place even with one heck of a special.

How the hell are you going to tell me what I had lol. And yes, you could get a nice apartment here for $650 easily if you moved in at the right time. I mean i've only been in this area for 10 years now. The same unit I lived in is now going for almost a grand a month. Even those cheap apartments over off of Village Parkway, which were at one point going for $550, are now close to a grand. Even complexes like Belmont Crossing where you could get a one bedroom on a move in special for $499 are now 800+. And for the record, the complex where I lived is STILL ranked as one of the top 5 nicest complexes on Zillow.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by Plokivos

Chicago is actually cheaper to live, because nobody wants to freeze to death for six month out of the year.

This is so true. This is exactly why Atlanta proper's population is 443,775 and Chicago proper's population is nearly 3 million--because no one wants to live in Chicago and prefers Atlanta's perfect weather.