Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Dunwoody's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Dunwoody?
Your $100,000 in Dunwoody has the same purchasing power as $95,877 in the average US city. You'd need $4,123 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Dunwoody's cost index of 104, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Dunwoody, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously paychecks come in above the us average and jobs are easy to find right now, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Median household income in Dunwoody is $106,710, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Unemployment in Dunwoody is running about 1.8% — below the typical US baseline of around 4%. That usually translates to a job market where employers compete for workers more than the other way around, which is the better side of that equation to be on if you're the one moving.
71% of adults 25 and over in Dunwoody hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Dunwoody's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. Dunwoody's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 38°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Dunwoody's winter average of about 38°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Dunwoody runs about 89°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 9. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 9 or colder should survive a typical winter in Dunwoody. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Dunwoody is at about 1,037 feet (316 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Officially, Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, but most of the action lands between mid-August and mid-October. For Dunwoody, that's when to keep half an eye on the National Hurricane Center forecast cone — and when an actual evacuation plan is worth having in the drawer if you're in a low-lying or coastal neighborhood.
Average for an American city. Dunwoody's reported crime rate of about 3,209 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. Dunwoody's cost-of-living index is 104, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — Dunwoody is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 16 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Transit Score is 28 out of 100. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $73,010 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Dunwoody runs about $1,721/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.