City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Alpharetta | Columbus | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,767/mo | $1,038/mo | 70.2% higher in A |
| Median home value | $562,000 | $168,400 | 233.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $141,402 | $54,561 | 159.2% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.9 | 97.0 | 2.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 95.8 | 91.2 | 5.0% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.9 | 99.2 | 1.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 97.4 | 1.4% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Alpharetta, you'd need $78,953 in Columbus to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbus, GA is about 21% cheaper overall than Alpharetta, GA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 44% lower in Columbus than in Alpharetta. If you earn $80,000 in Alpharetta, you'd need about $63,163 in Columbus to keep the same standard of living.