City comparison
Atlantic City, NJ vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Atlantic City, NJ are 4.4% higher than in San Antonio, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in San Antonio, TX would need about $104,400 in Atlantic City, NJ to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,537 a month in Atlantic City, NJ versus $1,177 in San Antonio, TX. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Atlantic City, NJ and 18% in San Antonio, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,180 a year higher in Atlantic City, NJ than in San Antonio, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −7.9% moving from Atlantic City, NJ to San Antonio, TX ($117,284 → $108,001), while prices change by −4.2%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.9% in real buying power.
- Atlantic City, NJ: price level 98.9 (about average)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Atlantic City, NJ | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.9 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $95,811 in San Antonio | $104,372 in Atlantic City |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,537/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,000 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,180 (NJ) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 25% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,520 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ HUD Metro FMR Area and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Atlantic City | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 98.7 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 99.8 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 109.2 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 97.9 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 98.9 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Atlantic City, NJ → San Antonio, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +4.4%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax −$4,180/yr.
82 Strong offer
San Antonio, TX → Atlantic City, NJ
Same pay buys less
Buying power −4.2%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$4,180/yr.
56 Fair offer
On the GS pay scale?
Atlantic City, NJ is in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Atlantic City, NJ to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Atlantic City, NJ | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Atlantic City → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,013 | $62,629 | −3.9% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,289 | $75,776 | −3.9% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,630 | $90,823 | −3.9% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,284 | $108,001 | −3.9% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,595 | $127,624 | −3.9% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Atlantic City, NJ | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Atlantic City dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $80,480 | $61,720 | $64,418 (−20.0%) |
| Software Developers | $126,670 | $128,430 | $134,045 (+5.8%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,040 | $78,650 | $82,089 (−1.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $99,320 | $94,370 | $98,496 (−0.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.