Cost of living in Atlanta? (lease, car insurance, how much)

[KatePick]

Hello,

I'm going to be moving to Atlanta from the UK at the begining of June and trying to get a basic budget in place to understand how much things will cost out there. I've found some helpful websites that offer guidance on the average cost of accommodation in the Midtown / Downtown area ($1000); Basic utilities ($180); Internet connection ($45) - but I would greatly appreciate any advice on how much I can expect to spend on monthly car payments; car insurance; cell phone contract and anything else you can think of.

Thank you so much in advance.

[Atlanta_BD]

You have many options to get cell phones without getting locked into a contract these days. Intes rnet is more like $50-$75 per month. Car depends if you get new or used or make and model but the average car payment is about $350-$400 on the low end if you get a newer car. You can lease a car and have lower payments but that comes with restrictions.

Car insurance will depend if you have full coverage, liability, or collision. When I had full coverage I was paying $200 but that is kinda high. If you finance a car you are required to pay full coverage. If you buy outright you can get liability or collision which is less.

Rough estimate you will pay:

$700-$1100 for rent
$300 or more for utilities (gas, electric, water and internet)
$50-$100 cell phone
$500 a month for car payment and insurance (could be more or less), not including petrol
$165 and up for petrol

That's all I can think of for now.