Atlanta 2nd cheapest big city for business, report says

By Dan Chapman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta is the second cheapest major U.S. city in which to do business, according to a study released Tuesday by KPMG.

Tampa is the least expensive, the audit and advisory firm reported in its ranking of cities with at least two million people.

KPMG’s 2010 Competitive Alternatives study measures 26 cost factors – labor, taxes, real estate, utilities and more – over a 10-year period. Atlanta gets high marks for its cheap rents, wages, employee benefits, transportation costs and favorable corporate tax rate.

“Although business costs and location issues are important considerations in the site-selection process, companies should also remember that discretionary incentives offered by many jurisdictions may enhance the relative cost-attractiveness of a popular site,” said Hartley Powell, national leader for KPMG’s Global Location and Expansion Services practice.