Loading...
$100,000 in Washington is matched by $94,400 in Georgia. Here's the same calculation at five income levels.
That's $5,600 less than what you earn now, after 2026 federal tax, state tax at both ends, and price levels of 107.0 in Washington against 96.3 in Georgia, where 100 is the national average.
A pay stub is the honest part of any relocation, so that's where this starts. Washington and Georgia are 10.7 index points apart on prices, and Georgia is on the cheap side of that by 10.0%.
Which means a $100,000 Washington salary is held by $94,400 in Georgia, and the $5,600 difference is yours to keep or to trade for something else.
Five income levels, each one run through the whole calculation twice. Single filer, standard deduction, 2026 brackets, and each state's own price level applied to what survives.
| Washington salary | Take-home there | Real value | Georgia salary to match | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $50,390 | $47,093 | $56,300 | −$3,700 |
| $80,000 | $65,110 | $60,850 | $75,000 | −$5,000 |
| $100,000 | $79,180 | $74,000 | $94,400 | −$5,600 |
| $150,000 | $113,791 | $106,347 | $142,700 | −$7,300 |
| $200,000 | $148,927 | $139,184 | $191,900 | −$8,100 |
Real value is take-home pay divided by the state price level, which is BEA's own method for comparing incomes across places. It answers what a salary would buy in an average American state, so two very different places can be set side by side on the same terms.
| Salary | Washington | Georgia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | None | $2,2463.7% | +$2,246 |
| $80,000 | None | $3,2444.1% | +$3,244 |
| $100,000 | None | $4,2424.2% | +$4,242 |
| $150,000 | None | $6,7374.5% | +$6,737 |
| $200,000 | None | $9,2324.6% | +$9,232 |
This runs the other way. Washington charges no personal income tax on wages, and Georgia charges $4,242 on a $100,000 salary, an effective 4.2%. That's $4,200 a year you weren't paying.
That's a real cost and it's the one people are most surprised by, because it arrives in the first paycheck rather than at the end of the year.
Price parity is BEA's measure of what the same basket of goods costs in different places, with 100 as the national average. Washington scores 107.0. Georgia scores 96.3.
Applied to a real paycheck, that gap is worth $3,800 a year at $100,000. Same gross salary, same federal tax, and $3,800 more of it survives contact with local prices.
One caveat that applies in both directions. A state figure is an average across every city, town and rural county in it, and the spread inside a big state is wider than the spread between most pairs of states. If you already know which metro you're moving to, the city-level pages are the more precise answer.
Hold the salary at $100,000 and move states. Federal tax and FICA don't change, so exactly two things do: what the state takes, and what things cost.
| Line | Washington | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$13,170 | −$13,170 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$7,650 | −$7,650 |
| State income tax | $0 | −$4,242 |
| Take-home pay | $79,180 | $74,939 |
| Adjusted for state prices (107.0 against 96.3) | $74,000 | $77,818 |
Net of everything, the same $100,000 is worth $3,800 more a year in Georgia. Of that, $4,200 is the state tax line and $8,100 is the price level. Those two are the entire difference, because everything else about a US paycheck is federal.
A state figure averages over every city and county in it, and the spread inside Georgia is wider than the gap between most pairs of states. If you already know where you're landing, these are the city-level numbers on a $100,000 salary.
Your salary, your two cities, the same federal price data. Takes about fifteen seconds.
Compare my citiesThe same $100,000 salary is worth about $3,800 more a year in Georgia once tax and prices are both counted. Real, and smaller than the version people repeat.
The break-even salary is $94,400. That's the number to hold in your head during a relocation conversation, because anything above it is a gain and anything below it isn't.
One thing this page can't tell you: it assumes you buy roughly what an average household buys, and housing dominates that basket. If you own outright, carry a fixed mortgage, or split rent several ways, the price adjustment overstates your case in both directions. Washington and Georgia are averages, and averages hide neighbourhoods.
Send the whole thing to your inbox so you can come back to it, or forward it to whoever you're deciding this with. We'll also tell you in January when the 2027 tax brackets and federal price data land and every number here changes.
The breakdown, then about one email a year. No sales pitch, unsubscribe any time.About $94,400. That holds the same purchasing power once 2026 federal tax, Washington and Georgia state tax, mandatory state payroll taxes, and each state's price level have all been applied. At $60,000 the match is $56,300, and at $200,000 it's $191,900.
You don't save, you pay more. On a $100,000 salary Washington takes $0 and Georgia takes $4,242, which is about $4,242 a year more.
Yes. On the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity index Georgia scores 96.3 against Washington at 107.0, so the same basket costs 10.0% less. These are statewide averages, and the spread inside a large state is wider than the gap between most pairs of states, so a specific metro can run against the state figure.
No. Everything on this page is a recurring annual figure: tax, price levels and purchasing power on an ongoing salary. A move also carries one-off costs, and this page states none of them because we hold no data on them and won't invent it.
Price levels are Regional Price Parities from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024 vintage, which is the federal government's official measure of geographic price differences. Tax figures are 2026 federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 plus each state's 2026 schedule. States whose 2026 figures could not be confirmed against a primary source do not get a page at all.