Atlanta vs Fort Lauderdale
The short version
- Atlanta is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Fort Lauderdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $439,600 in Atlanta and $486,700 in Fort Lauderdale.
- Fort Lauderdale has the warmer winter: January highs of 76°F vs 54°F.
- Fort Lauderdale has more scorching days: 68 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 47.
- Atlanta is growing faster: +6.1% since 2020 vs +3.3%.
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Georgia's top rate is 5.19%.
Side by side
| Atlanta, GA | Fort Lauderdale, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 529,110 | 188,677 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.1% | +3.3% |
| People per square mile | 3,911 | 5,456 |
| Median age | 34.2 | 42.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 59% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $85,652 | $83,130 |
| Median home value | $439,600 | $486,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.1× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,711 | $1,854 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.1 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 111.0 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,000 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 46% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.5 | 26.1 |
| Work from home | 30% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| Poverty rate | 16.9% | 15% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 54° / 36° | 76° / 61° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 90° / 78° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 61 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 47 | 68 |
| Nights below freezing | 36 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.8 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.7% | +49.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Atlanta: April to May and September to November. Fort Lauderdale: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Atlanta weather by month and Fort Lauderdale weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,000 in Atlanta and $85,600 in Fort Lauderdale. Moving from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, you would need about $85,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale.
Which would you pick?
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