Is Metro Atlanta an Affordable Place? It's Complicated

Housing affordability is a tricky issue to define because so much of it depends on a host of factors not necessarily related to housing. Nevertheless, this month’s Regional Snapshot looks at that very issue and finds, unsurprisingly, a mixed bag. One of the reasons metro Atlanta attracted more than one million new residents last decade was the region’s overall affordability. Metro Atlanta is a low cost-of-living place and home prices reflect this. But, numerous studies have shown that when transportation costs are added in, metro Atlanta becomes one of the LEAST affordable large metros for moderate-income families. And lack of affordability is a key issue near job centers. So, as the headline suggests, it’s complicated.