✦ Compare
Atlanta vs
Cologne
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Atlanta, GA vs Cologne, DE at a glance — Cologne, DE is 5% more expensive than Atlanta, GA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,050/mo versus $1,650/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Cologne, DE, you'd need
$78,409 / year
Cologne, DE is 5% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Cologne, DE vs Atlanta, GA)
- Housing0%
- Food & groceries+11%
- Transport-14%
- Utilities+35%
- Healthcare-1%
- Goods & services+8%
◎ How Atlanta, GA and Cologne, DE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Atlanta, GA | Cologne, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 101 | 106 |
| Housing | 112 | 112 |
| Food | 95 | 105 |
| Transport | 98 | 84 |
| Utilities | 93 | 126 |
| Healthcare | 96 | 95 |
| Goods & services | 97 | 105 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,650/mo | $1,050/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,300/mo | $780/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $2,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,200 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $990 | $947 |
| Inexpensive meal | $17 | $14 |
| Monthly transit pass | $95 | $115 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 19% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 20% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 26.4% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,900/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo | $2,200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027 | $60,496 |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 2.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 55 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 48 | 66 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 48 | 78 |
| Public transport | 48 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 81 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +7 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +27 °C | +19 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 217 | 105 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,270 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Germany. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Atlanta
The South's business and culture capital — green, affordable and fast-growing, if car-bound.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 7°C · ☀ 27°C · 217 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Midtown · Old Fourth Ward · Buckhead
Good to know before you move to Cologne
An easy-going media and culture city on the Rhine, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and famous for carnival and a warm, open crowd. More affordable and less corporate than Munich or Frankfurt, with a lively creative and startup scene.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 19°C · 105 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Ehrenfeld · Belgisches Viertel · Südstadt · Nippes
Plan your move to Atlanta
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Cologne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Atlanta to Cologne: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Atlanta to Cologne, your cost of living will be roughly 5% more expensive. Cologne’s cost-of-living index is 106 versus 101 for Atlanta (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Atlanta cheaper than Cologne?
Cologne is about 5% more expensive than Atlanta overall — its cost-of-living index is 106 versus 101 for Atlanta.
How much do you need to earn in Cologne to live like in Atlanta?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Atlanta is worth about $78,409 in Cologne. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Atlanta or Cologne?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Atlanta
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.