Compare / Atlanta to Charleston
Atlanta, GA vs Charleston, SC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $122 a month in Atlanta.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 8.7 points (Atlanta 111.0, Charleston 119.8).
Georgia taxes wages at a flat 5.19%. South Carolina taxes wages at rates up to 6.00%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.0 percentage points, higher in South Carolina. The effective property tax gap is 0.30 percentage points, higher in Georgia.
After a move from Georgia to South Carolina, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Atlanta lines up with about $75,678 in Charleston on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Atlanta
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,762
- HUD area
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,770
- All-items price parity
- 100.1
- Goods price parity
- 100.4
- Utilities price parity
- 96.2
- Mean commute
- 32.4 min
- Median household income
- $92,344
Charleston
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,884
- HUD area
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,714
- All-items price parity
- 101.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.3
- Utilities price parity
- 88.2
- Mean commute
- 29.4 min
- Median household income
- $90,307
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$75,678
Salary in Charleston that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$75,933
Gross salary in Charleston whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$80,193
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Georgia | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 5.19% flat | up to 6.00% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.74% | 0.45% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,976 a year in Georgia and $1,786 in South Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in South Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Georgia and once in South Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
WIC
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
School meals
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AtlantaMaybe
CharlestonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
AtlantaLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
SSI
AtlantaUnlikely
CharlestonUnlikely
| Program | Atlanta | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Atlanta
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Atlanta.
- Atlanta and San Francisco · rent gap $1,935
- Atlanta and San Jose · rent gap $1,510
- Atlanta and Boston · rent gap $1,246
- Atlanta and New York · rent gap $1,209
- Atlanta and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,202
- Atlanta and San Diego · rent gap $1,061
- Atlanta and Miami · rent gap $802
- Atlanta and Seattle · rent gap $787
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.