Can we still afford Atlanta?
12 Atlantans tell us how they afford to live here
Photograph by triocean / iStock / Getty Images Plus
We asked readers to (anonymously) share how they spend their money. Here are a dozen by ascending age. (Editor’s note: This article was written and published in print before the COVID-19 outbreak shut down Atlanta businesses.)
Senior business development manager, 27
Lives in: West End, with her husband
Race: Hispanic
Annual income: $85,000
Household income: $175,000
I still find Atlanta to be an affordable place to live. We were able to purchase a home in southwest Atlanta and keep our same standard of living. Rent has definitely gone up, which is what pushed us to buy. We are incredibly privileged to have good-paying jobs and a nest egg that my in-laws gave us. We don’t necessarily budget, but we don’t buy luxury clothing and are conscious of not spending our money on stuff.
Monthly mortgage: $2,866 (15-year loan)
What you paid for your home (and when): $418,000 in 2019
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0
Phone plan and any subscriptions: $0 for phone plan (work covers it); $24 for Netflix, Spotify, and Apple cloud storage
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: My car is paid off. Gas is around $50 every week.
Groceries per month: $600. We go to Costco and use Sun Basket.
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $1,500 toward savings, and I match my company’s 4 percent for 401(k); $22,000 in my 401(k) and $10,000 in my savings. There was more in savings, but we bought a house and had our wedding last year.
How much do you spend annually on vacations? $7,000; my husband is British, so we go to the U.K. about three times a year.
What is your splurge? Getting my hair done: $150 every three months
What do you have to go without? We’re going down to one car since we work together, so I would say the second car.
Sales and campaign coordinator, 28
Lives in: Oakhurst, by herself
Race: White
Annual income: $56,000
Rent is not getting any cheaper. I got an incredible deal on my place in Decatur, but I know when I renew my lease later this year, the monthly rent will increase by $200 to $300. I don’t know that I can afford that without a roommate. I’m planning my first trip to Europe this summer. It will undoubtedly leave my bank account pretty drained, but I’m hoping to have my entire credit card paid off and not need to use any savings. Most of my friends have had the opportunity to leave the country for a vacation, but not me. I want this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and while it’ll be tight for a bit after the trip, it will be 100 percent worth it.
Monthly rent: $1,000
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0; $3,500
Health insurance: $155
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $650
Groceries per month: $250
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $500; $12,500
What is your splurge? Shows and concerts: $200/month
What do you have to go without? I live paycheck to paycheck, so if something were to happen and I lost my job, I might be able to survive two weeks.
Senior marketing manager, 33
Lives in: Midtown, by herself
Race: Black
Annual income: $100,000–$125,000
Getting a decent apartment, with some space and a safe environment, will cost you a lot (either in dollars or straight-up time to find a diamond in the rough, like I did). My student loans are the first to go if anything ever feels tight. [With a 10 percent raise,] I could move one step closer to debt-free living and buy a home in Atlanta.
Monthly rent: $1,295
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $50,000+; under $5,000
Groceries per month: I cook and entertain, A LOT. So, $250 to $500.
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $200; LOL . . . $5,000
How much do you spend annually on clothes? $3,000+
What is your splurge? Honestly? This is anonymous, right? Marijuana, usually.
Account manager (technology), 34
Lives in: Adair Park, with her husband and a roommate
Race: Asian American
Annual income: $55,000
Household income: $100,000 (not counting roommate)
The cars and transportation costs are such a big part of our expenses. If the city was designed better, with multimodal options to get around, then we wouldn’t be so dependent on cars, parking, gas, and their costs (both financially and psychologically). Car-insurance rates can F off. Terrible drivers, bad road design, and our dependency on cars contribute to our state’s rate as being one of the [nation’s] highest. Also, there is a lack of starter homes and affordable housing within city limits. Why does everything have to be luxury?
Monthly rent: $200 (roommate pays $600); my parents own the house, which is why rent is below market value. They bought it in 2017 for $171,000.
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0; $2,500
Health insurance: $55 for me
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $1,000 as a couple, for three total cars. We bought a car last week that we now make payments on for $503 and are selling an old one for $1,000 soon. The third car is a weekend/date-night car.
Groceries per month: $320
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $900 for me and, on average, $4,000 for my husband; $25,000
How much do you spend annually on clothes? $3,500. (Yikes, I haven’t seen that number totaled together like that before. I think that’s a lot.) That’s just my number. Husband doesn’t spend much on clothes.
How much do you spend annually on vacations? $4,000 in previous years up until this point. But now that we’re making more money as a couple, we may double that this year.
What is your splurge? Monthly facials at $132 each time. Quarterly massages at $110 each time. Tip included.
Clinical research associate, 34
Lives in: East Atlanta Village, with her partner
Race: South Asian
Annual income: $112,000
Household income: $221,000
I miss living in our old neighborhood, Old Fourth Ward, where prices have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. The word “BeltLine” adds a 20 percent increase in rent.
Monthly mortgage: $2,600
What you paid for your home (and when): $350,000 in 2018
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $40 (just gas). Both my partner and I travel for work and work remotely when we’re home. I spend around $80/month on Lyft, as we’re a one-car household.
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $933; $117,000
How much do you spend per month on fun stuff (eating out, concerts, movies, etc.)? $600
How much do you spend annually on clothes? $500
How much do you spend annually on vacations? $1,000
What is your splurge? Therapy (twice a month): $600
What do you have to go without? Not much; probably luxury items vs. cheaper brands. I grew up lower-middle class, and I just can’t justify some of the costs.
Scientist, 36
Lives in: East Point, with his wife, son (five), and niece (18)
Race: White
Annual income: $104,000
Household income: $104,000
Everything’s geared towards two-income households. I had to pick a “transitional” neighborhood in order to make ends meet with just one income. We have one car and depend on public transit. We try and balance living life healthy and happy, while at the same time trying to keep the credit-card debt low. But savings is our biggest handicap. We just can’t seem to make savings happen.
Monthly mortgage: $980
What you paid for your home (and when): $180,000 in 2015
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0; $4,000
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $500
Public transit per month: $0; employer pays for my MARTA card, thankfully
Childcare per month: $450
Groceries per month: $400
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? Not sure; I think I have $30,000 in a retirement fund.
What is your splurge? Eating out and coffee, probably $70/month
Marketing manager, 37
Lives in: Ormewood Park, with her husband
Race: White
Annual income: $80,000
Household income: $250,000
I know that if we want to move, we’ll be priced out of our current neighborhood and our commutes will be negatively affected. I’d also love to find a way to decrease our bills and spend a lot less on food. Meal planning is great but goes out the window when work gets crazy!
Monthly mortgage: $1,870, plus $425 HOA fee
What you paid for your home (and when): $305,000 in 2017
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $590
Public transit per month: I get 20 MARTA trips free from work.
Groceries per month: $700 to $800
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $2,000; $175,000
How much do you spend per month on fun stuff (eating out, concerts, movies, etc.)? Too much! $1,200
What is your splurge? Eating out and buying wine ($1,200 to $1,500); getting facials every few months ($150)
Corporate trainer, 41
Lives in: Fayetteville, with her husband
Race: Black
Annual income: $78,000
Household income: $128,000
I think you have to create a balance when it comes to spending and saving. You should not miss out on life experiences—travel, eat, drink, and live—but also should have a strategy to save and pay off any debts.
Monthly mortgage: $1,063
What you paid for your home (and when): $150,000 in 2009
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $100,000; $12,000
Health insurance: $200
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $100; $20,000+
How much do you spend annually on vacations? $3,000 to $5,000
What do you have to go without? A new car
Attorney, 42
Lives in: Morningside, with his wife and two children (ages two and three)
Race: White
Annual income: $200,000
Household income: $400,000
What’s most challenging about Atlanta’s cost of living? Houses intown are either bungalows or $1.5 million.
Monthly mortgage: $2,650
What you paid for your home (and when): $475,000 in 2016
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0
Health insurance: $500
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $400
Childcare: $2,500
Groceries per month: $1,000
How much do you save per month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $4,000; $1,250,000
How much do you spend per month on fun stuff (eating out, concerts, movies, etc.)? $3,000
What is your splurge? We have a vacation cabin in Blue Ridge: $1,500 per month minus rental income.
What do you have to go without? More space for the kids
Licensed professional counselor, 44
Lives in: Mozley Park, with her four cats
Race: White
Annual income: $20,000
I struggle with spending more money than I make. I have had higher-paying jobs in the past, but I am partially disabled now and can only work three days a week. Often, I’m lucky if I get the three days in, as I will have to be out sick or due to pain. I am still dependent on my parents for help. I realize that my disability is the reason, but it still hurts me emotionally that I can’t fully support myself. I live in a small house and refinanced in 2014. My mortgage has gone up at least $100 in that time. It just went up $40 a month this year due to an increase in property taxes. (I live directly on the BeltLine.) I want to spend less on ready-made food, as it would be healthier and cheaper, but I just don’t know how to cook well. And I am too tired to do it. I also end up spending my money on things for my office on a regular basis: books, toys, and other items. It is a constant struggle to stay on top of any type of a budget. I am extremely lucky to have the help that I do. I can’t imagine trying to live in Atlanta without any kind of safety net—if I didn’t own my own home, I wouldn’t be able to afford to live here.
Monthly mortgage: $718—just went up again
What you paid for your home (and when): $104,000 in 2003
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0; $22,000 (half of it in collections)
Utilities: $450
Phone plan and any subscriptions: $200
Health insurance: $150. Actually, it is paid by my parents, as I am not able to afford it on my own.
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $250; I drive 30 miles round-trip to work three days a week.
Groceries per month: $200
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $0 (every time I put money away, I end up having to use it); $200,000
How much do you spend annually on vacations? I only visit my parents in Florida. They pay for everything (including gas).
What is your splurge? Sushi. It is so expensive. I usually get it three times a month, so at least $150 easily.
What do you have to go without? Fresh food. I don’t cook, and it is expensive to get delivery meals.
Wine seller, 46
Lives in: Grant Park, with his wife
Race: White
Annual income: $85,000
Household income: $110,000
We’re lucky because our housing is so affordable for living where we do, but our utilities are shockingly expensive here as opposed to in Oregon, where we lived previously. We’d really like to have some sort of health coverage, but my employer’s is worthless, and anything actually useful on the ACA exchange is prohibitively expensive. It’s unacceptable that we make over $100,000 and go without health insurance as a two-person household because we can’t find a plan that would cost less than just paying already outrageous medical costs out of pocket. It makes for an anxiety-ridden existence, and money we could be spending and putting back into a thriving local economy is instead being saved in case something terrible happens.
Monthly rent: $900
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $55,000; $18,000
Utilities: $380
Phone plan and any subscriptions: $220
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $700
Groceries per month: $900
How much do you save each month, and how much do you have in savings/401(k)? $1,200; $21,000
What is your splurge? Wine—$600 per month
What do you have to go without? Healthcare
Retired, 62
Lives in: Vinings, by himself
Race: Black
Annual income: $100,000
I’m in my second year of retirement, so I’m still getting a handle on my cost baseline. But I’m blessed not to have a challenge with living in Atlanta. Weather’s great, and I don’t have to drive in rush-hour traffic!
Monthly rent: $1,000
Student-loan and credit-card debt: $0
Utilities: $50
Phone plan and any subscriptions: $100
Car payment, car insurance, and gas: $400
Groceries per month: $300
How much do you have in savings/401(k)? $300,000
How much do you spend per month on fun stuff (eating out, concerts, movies, etc.)? $100
What is your splurge? Nike apparel—$100 per month
These articles appear in our April 2020 issue and were written prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Atlanta.
