Atlanta was ranked second most affordable in terms of housing costs earlier this week, but a new report from the Center for Housing Policy paints a different picture. It posits that Atlanta is struggling with "overall affordability" compared with other large metro areas. Moderate income households in particular--those making between 50 and 100 percent of Atlanta's median income--face some of the biggest challenges, with 63 percent of their income going toward housing and transportation. When you consider the gap between rising wages and rising housing and transportation costs that places Atlanta second in widening that gap, it's clear that housing isn't the only factor to consider when considering big-picture affordability.
So what's going on? Darin at ATL Urbanist explains the need to look at housing and transportation costs together. Atlanta's walkable areas and car-dependent areas also come with variations in housing costs, and a commute could cancel out any housing savings. You didn't think that commute would be cheap, did you?
· ATL among major metros struggling with "overall affordability" [CL]
· With Atlanta's affordability, transportation costs matter [ATL Urbanist]
—Sujin Headrick