Moving to Georgia from Massachusetts
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Massachusetts to Georgia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Georgia, you would find that Georgia is 13.8% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $61,648 in Georgia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Atlanta averages 72°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Massachusetts to Georgia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,648
To maintain the same standard of living in Georgia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.5% less
Groceries
pay 11.8% less
Transportation
pay 1.2% less
Housing
pay 15.2% less
Childcare
pay 36.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Georgia cost about 25% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Massachusetts and Georgia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Georgia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Georgia performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Georgia leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts performs better than Georgia across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Georgia than Massachusetts?
Generally yes: Georgia runs about 18% cheaper than Massachusetts on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Georgia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,412 in Georgia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Georgia safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Georgia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Georgia compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Georgia compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Atlanta is 72°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Atlanta receives around 49.7 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
