Cost of Living in Atlanta, GA (2026): What Renters Should Budget

Updated October 2026. Rent figures reflect September 2026 estimates from Apartment List's October report.

According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Atlanta is $1,540, modestly above the national median. One-bedrooms are at $1,544 and two-bedrooms at $1,545. The all-sizes figure is $152, or about 11%, above the national median of $1,388.

A renter living alone in a median one-bedroom should plan on about $2,139 a month for rent, electricity, and groceries, before water and sewer, natural gas, transportation, and anything else. Atlanta's rent was flat over the 12 months through September 2026, up 0.07% while the national median fell 0.39%, and the median is 10.0% below its August 2022 peak of $1,711. The three size medians are within $5 of one another, so splitting a two-bedroom cuts rent per renter by about half.

Atlanta Cost of Living at a Glance

Source for rent rows: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. Full method and sources are in the appendix.

How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.

What Is the Median Rent in Atlanta in 2026?

The Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index shows Atlanta medians of $1,544 for a one-bedroom, $1,545 for a two-bedroom, and $1,540 across all apartment sizes.

Apartment List reports median rent, not a simple average. The median is the market midpoint, so it's less swayed than an average by a handful of very expensive listings. Apartment List's methodology frames it as the median rent an apartment searcher could expect across the full rental market, not only what's advertised right now.

Atlanta's median rent was up 0.07% over the 12 months through September 2026, while the national median fell 0.39%, and it slipped 0.04% in September after rising every month from April through August. The 12-month change has stayed between 0.2% down and 0.5% up for the 14 months since August 2025, and Atlanta is one of 54 of the 100 largest U.S. cities where the median is above its level a year earlier. These are citywide figures, and they don't establish what any one building is asking. Compare current listings for the size and neighborhood you want, ask each property about concessions, fees, and the move-in total, and check the quote against the medians above.

Atlanta's One- and Two-Bedroom Medians Are $1 Apart

In Atlanta a two-bedroom runs $1 more than a one-bedroom at the median, a premium of 0.1%, where the usual gap across the 50 largest U.S. cities is 19.5% (Apartment List, October 2026 report). No other city of the fifty has a narrower one. The one-bedroom median runs $4 above the all-sizes figure of $1,540, which holds in only one other of the fifty, San Francisco.

Those three medians summarize different pools of apartments, so the $1 gap is not the literal price of a second bedroom in any one building. It is why splitting a two-bedroom saves so much per renter: $772.50 each against $1,544 for a one-bedroom alone, a difference of about $772 every month. Compare current one- and two-bedroom listings before you count on it, since the difference for a specific building can be larger.

How Does Atlanta Rent Compare With Other Southeast Metros?

For a renter weighing where to land in the Southeast, the useful comparison is the other large Southeast metros you might choose between, set against the national median. The table is not a ranking of every regional rental market.

Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. City-level medians at the same grain, not total-cost comparisons.

Atlanta is the highest-priced of the cities compared here. Tampa and Orlando are within $20 of it, Charlotte, Nashville, and Jacksonville run $162 to $219 less, and the national median is $152 below. On one-bedrooms the gap is wider. Atlanta's $1,544 one-bedroom median is $247 above Orlando's and $291 above Charlotte's. The other cities' one-bedroom medians run $125 to $234 below their all-sizes figures; Atlanta's matches its all-sizes figure. Before you treat a lower-rent city as savings, compare the same unit size and price the commute in each place.

Atlanta Rents Run 6% to 16% Above the Metro Median

Atlanta's $1,540 median is 5.7% above the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta metro's $1,457. The gap depends on unit size: 16.0% on one-bedrooms and 10.3% on two-bedrooms, against metro medians of $1,331 and $1,401. The metro figure covers 29 counties, so it includes Atlanta itself alongside Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Marietta, and Roswell; read it as a regional benchmark rather than a measure of what any one suburb costs.

What Income Corresponds to Atlanta Rent at the 30% Benchmark?

Using the $1,544 median one-bedroom rent from Apartment List's October 2026 report, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $61,760 in annual gross income.

Each income figure is the monthly rent multiplied by 12 and divided by 0.30. The shared row assumes an equal split of the two-bedroom median between two renters, $772.50 each. Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable, and HUD counts utilities inside it where this table does not, so add the electricity figure above to get closer to a housing budget. This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate. Georgia levies a flat 4.99% state income tax for 2026 and no local income tax; a 2026 law schedules further cuts from 2027 if state revenue targets are met.

Treat these as planning benchmarks, not salary requirements or screening rules. Many renter budgets don't fit beneath 30%: Apartment List research found that 51.8% of U.S. renter households, about 22.2 million, spent more than that on rent in 2024, a national figure rather than an Atlanta one. Our guide to the 30% rule and how much to spend on rent walks through when to flex it.

How Do You Know if You Can Afford an Atlanta Apartment?

Work backward from your income. Multiply your gross annual income by 0.30 and divide by 12 for a monthly rent ceiling at the 30% benchmark. On a $60,000 gross salary that is $1,500 a month, $44 under Atlanta's $1,544 one-bedroom median (Apartment List, October 2026 report), so at that income a solo one-bedroom at the median crosses the benchmark before electricity. Half of a median two-bedroom, $772.50, fits under the same ceiling with about $728 to spare. Then run the same math on the listing's rent rather than the city median, add the costs your household carries, ask what rent includes and how any shared bills are divided, and compare that fuller estimate against your income, debts, and savings goals before applying. Some Atlanta buildings include water, sewer, or trash in the rent, which changes the all-in comparison between two listings, so ask. The Rent Calculator runs it against your actual income, and our guide to finding an apartment in your budget walks through the rest.

What Should You Budget Beyond Rent in Atlanta?

Price the costs that apply to you, then confirm which charges the building bills separately. Whether you need a car depends on your address and commute, so check the MARTA rail and bus map for the apartment you're considering before you budget either way.

How Much Does Electricity Cost in Atlanta?

Budget about $155 a month at 1,000 kWh, before taxes and fees, using the 15.48-cent average price Georgia Power's residential customers paid per kilowatt-hour in 2024 (Georgia Power). Georgia Power is the regulated utility, so there's no plan to shop. Its standard residential rate bills summer usage, June through September, in three tiers that step up above 650 and 1,000 kWh, with fuel charged separately at about 3.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, so a summer month costs more than a winter month at the same usage; the Georgia Public Service Commission's bill calculator prices a specific usage under the current schedule. Base rates are frozen for three years under a plan the commission approved in July 2025, and a June 2026 fuel and storm settlement trimmed about $4 a month from the typical bill, per Georgia Power. Those customers averaged about 990 kWh a month in 2024, so 1,000 kWh is a typical month rather than a light one, and summer cooling pushes it higher. Ask the property for a recent July or August bill from a comparable unit, and whether the unit has central air.

Do You Need a Natural Gas Marketer in Atlanta?

Only if the apartment heats or cooks with gas, so ask the property first. Atlanta Gas Light owns the pipes and reads the meter but doesn't sell gas; a certified marketer bills you for the gas itself plus Atlanta Gas Light's regulated pass-through charges, which are the same whichever marketer you choose and include a fixed base charge even in a low-usage month. Compare marketer plans on the Georgia Public Service Commission's pricing index before you sign, and check whether the plan is fixed or variable and what the cancellation fee is.

How Much Are Water and Sewer Bills in Atlanta?

There is no single renter estimate, because the lease decides whether you ever see a water bill: a property may fold water and sewer into rent, charge a flat fee, divide one building bill among residents, or leave you to hold a direct account. On a direct account inside the city, the Department of Watershed Management bills a $6.56 base charge each for water and sewer, water in three usage tiers starting at $2.58 per CCF (hundred cubic feet) for the first 3 CCF, and sewer at $9.74 per CCF of water used in that tier, so sewer is the larger part of the bill; those rates are held through June 30, 2028, and have not risen since 2012. Some Atlanta addresses are served by Fulton County instead, on a separate schedule that rose 5% on January 1, 2026, with another 5% due January 1, 2027, so check which utility serves the building. Those charges apply only when the account is in your name, which is why this guide leaves water and sewer outside the monthly total. Ask which arrangement the building uses, and if it is a shared split, how it is calculated.

How Much Is Public Transit in Atlanta?

MARTA charges $2.50 for a single ride on rail and bus, with up to four free transfers within three hours. A 30-day pass is $95, and seniors 65 and older, Medicare cardholders, and riders with disabilities pay $1.00 a ride. MARTA replaced its fare system with Better Breeze in 2026, and the old Breeze cards and app stopped working on May 2, so you'll need a new Breeze card, the new app, or a tap-to-pay bank card. MARTA's rail stations are all in Fulton and DeKalb counties, so an apartment near a station can support a commute without a car. Elsewhere, check the bus route and schedule for your address before you count on transit, and if it doesn't fit, plan for a car payment, insurance, fuel, and parking.

How Much Should You Budget for Groceries in Atlanta?

The national USDA Moderate-Cost plan puts groceries for one adult at about $440 a month, as of the August 2026 report. That's a national benchmark for food you cook at home, not an Atlanta price, so treat it as a starting point and adjust for your household and how often you eat out.

How Do Solo and Shared Atlanta Budgets Compare?

Splitting a two-bedroom is the single biggest saving on housing cost here. Based on Apartment List's September 2026 medians, a solo renter starts from the $1,544 one-bedroom, while two roommates splitting the $1,545 two-bedroom start from $772.50 each before utilities, which also split.

Source: Apartment List's October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. The shared column splits one two-bedroom and one electric bill between two renters ($77.50 each, shown rounded); groceries do not split. Natural gas, water and sewer, transportation, internet, insurance, and parking are excluded; see the appendix.

That is about $772 a month less per renter in rent than a one-bedroom alone, roughly $9,260 a year, and $849 less once you count the shared power bill. The $1 step from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom is the narrowest among the 50 largest U.S. cities, where the typical premium is 19.5% (Apartment List, October 2026 report), so the saving comes almost entirely from the rent itself rather than from dividing the smaller bills.

Compare Atlanta With Your Current City

If you are moving to Atlanta from somewhere else, compare total cost rather than rent alone. The Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares two cities using after-tax income and includes data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. Atlanta's $1,540 median is $152 above the national one (Apartment List, October 2026 report), and the calculator will price Georgia's flat 4.99% income tax along with the parts of a budget rent doesn't cover, starting with whether you'd still need a car.

What Should You Confirm Before Paying an Application Fee?

When you budget for application or move-in fees, remember those are the property's charges; Apartment List is paid by the property when you sign a lease and never charges renters a fee. Use the rent on the listing, not the Atlanta city median, as your working number. Add up the listing's rent and the unit-level fees disclosed on its detail page (application, admin, pet, and parking), confirm whether water, sewer, and trash are included in rent or billed to you, ask whether the unit heats with gas and what a recent August electric bill came to, and check whether a MARTA station or bus route is near the address. Get the total move-in amount in writing.

The citywide median is a starting point, not your ceiling. The cheapest neighborhoods in Atlanta guide ranks places to start if price is driving your search, the best Atlanta neighborhoods guide covers lifestyle fit, and the best walkable neighborhoods in Atlanta guide helps if you'd rather not budget for a car. Rate My Rent grades a listing you're already considering against comparable local apartments. Then browse Atlanta apartments and run the check on real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimates, October 2026 release, with data as of September 2026, built on the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, a same-unit, repeat-transaction analysis.

Income figures are calculations based on the cited Apartment List rent medians and the 30% rent-to-income benchmark, not measured income data.

The $2,139 monthly planning total combines the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity and grocery estimates from the At-a-Glance table. Electricity is 1,000 kWh at the 2024 average residential price Georgia Power's customers paid, before taxes and fees, so a current summer bill runs higher. Natural gas is excluded because it applies only to units that use it, and water and sewer because whether you pay them directly depends on the lease. The total also excludes transportation, internet, insurance, parking, and anything discretionary.

Frequently Asked Questions About Atlanta Rent and Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Atlanta?

Rent reports usually cite the median rather than the average, because the median better represents a typical apartment. As of September 2026, the median rent in Atlanta is $1,540 across all sizes, $1,544 for a one-bedroom, and $1,545 for a two-bedroom, according to the Apartment List Rent Index.

Is Atlanta Rent Going Up or Down?

Flat. According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, Atlanta rent was up 0.07% over the 12 months through September 2026, while the national median fell 0.39%, and it slipped 0.04% in September after rising every month from April through August. The 12-month change has stayed between 0.2% down and 0.5% up since August 2025, and the median is 10.0% below its August 2022 peak of $1,711. Compare current listings for the size and neighborhood you want and ask properties directly about any concessions.

Is Atlanta Affordable for Renters?

Moderately. At an all-sizes median of $1,540 in September 2026, Atlanta runs about 11% above Apartment List's national median of $1,388, the highest of the Southeast cities compared here but not far above the national figure. Under a rent-only 30% benchmark, a $1,544 one-bedroom lines up with about $61,760 in annual gross income. A $1,545 two-bedroom lines up with about $61,800. This is a planning benchmark, not an approval standard, and it doesn't include utilities and other living costs. With the median two-bedroom $1 above the median one-bedroom, splitting a two-bedroom cuts rent per renter to $772.50, though those medians cover different apartment pools, so compare live listings before counting on it.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Atlanta?

Atlanta doesn't have one required renter salary. Using Apartment List's September 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,544, the rent-only 30% benchmark corresponds to about $61,760 in annual gross income. On the $1,545 two-bedroom median, the same benchmark corresponds to about $61,800. Treat these as planning figures, not screening requirements. Properties set their own qualification rules, and the figure uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator uses after-tax income and will give a different number.

How Much Are Utilities in Atlanta?

Electricity at 1,000 kWh runs about $155 a month at the 2024 average price Georgia Power's residential customers paid, before taxes and fees, and summer bills run higher because the standard rate steps up above 650 and 1,000 kWh from June through September. If the unit uses gas, you choose a marketer and pay Atlanta Gas Light's pass-through charges on top. Water and sewer reach you only if the account is in your name, and some buildings fold them into rent, so ask exactly which utilities rent includes before you compare prices.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. The 30% benchmark is a planning guideline, not a rule. HUD defines a household as cost-burdened when housing costs exceed 30% of income, and per Apartment List research about 51.8% of U.S. renter households were cost-burdened in 2024, with 26.1% severely cost-burdened above 50%. Those are national figures, not Atlanta-specific. Treat 30% as a starting point, then adjust for your other costs and priorities.

How Do Solo and Shared Atlanta Budgets Compare?

Using the medians from the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, a two-bedroom costs $772.50 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $1,544 for a one-bedroom on your own, a difference of about $772 a month, or roughly $9,260 a year, before utilities and fees. The two-bedroom median is $1 above the one-bedroom median, the narrowest step among the 50 largest U.S. cities, which is why the split saves so much. With electricity and groceries added, a solo renter is looking at about $2,139 a month and each roommate at about $1,290. That $772.50 share corresponds to about $30,900 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.