Cost of living comparison
compared to
Atlanta vs. Detroit Cost of Living Summary
Atlanta is 15.8% more expensive than Detroit.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.8% more in Atlanta
- Groceries
-
pay 22.0% more in Atlanta
- Transportation
-
pay 11.2% more in Atlanta
- Housing
-
pay 23.4% more in Atlanta
- Childcare
-
pay 26.5% more in Atlanta
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.4% more in Atlanta
- Clothing
-
pay 7.1% more in Atlanta
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and clothing in Atlanta are more expensive than in Detroit.
Atlanta vs. Detroit Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Atlanta instead of Detroit, you would:
pay 17.8% more for restaurants
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.21
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.0% more for groceries
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.38
|
$3.81
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.98
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$3.85
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$4.25
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$6.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$3.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$0.64
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$3.22
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$2.66
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.51
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.28
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of groceries
pay 11.2% more for transportation
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.00
|
$95.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,901.81
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$15.43
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of transportation
pay 23.4% more for housing
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$77.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,450.00
|
$1,814.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,058.17
|
$1,517.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$192.03
|
$147.95
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of housing
pay 26.5% more for childcare
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$1,240.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$26,413.80
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of childcare
pay 2.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.00
|
$44.09
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$15.50
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.1% more for clothing
|
Detroit
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.08
|
$51.21
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$40.62
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$105.25
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$111.44
|
|
Detroit vs. Atlanta - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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