Average Cost of Living in Georgia: $43,482 per year

If you’re considering relocating to Georgia, here’s some good news for your monthly budget: Georgia enjoys the fifth-lowest cost of living in the United States, according to MERIC data  gathered in 2022. While its western next-door neighbor, Alabama, is just slightly cheaper on average, holding the fourth-lowest spot on the list, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida all have higher average living costs.

But what does that look like in real-life terms? According to 2021 data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis , the average total personal consumption cost in Georgia is $43,482 per year, broken down like this:

Average Annual Per-Capita Cost in Alabama

• Housing and Utilities: $7,495
• Health Care: $6,595
• Food and Beverages: $3,699
• Gas and Energy Goods: $1,215
• All Other Personal Expenditures: $24,481

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Housing Costs in Georgia

Average Housing Costs in Georgia: $1,084 to $1,957 per month

Keeping a roof over your head in Georgia can be expensive, but it can also be pretty darn affordable. Boasting more than 4 million housing units, per 2021 U.S. Census Bureau data, Georgia’s average home value was $301,978 in February 2023. For comparison, the median sales price of an existing home in the U.S., per the National Association of Realtors, was $359,000 the previous month.

Here’s what that looks like on a monthly basis, per 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Median monthly mortgage cost: $1,514
• Median studio rent: $1,112
• Median one-bedroom rent: $1,084
• Median two-bedroom rent: $1,086
• Median three-bedroom rent: $1,196
• Median four-bedroom rent: $1,510
• Median five-bedroom (or more) rent: $1,957
• Median gross rent: $1,153

Of course, exact figures will depend on your specific location. Here are the typical home values for 20 major Georgia cities, according to Zillow, in January 2023.

Typical Home Price by Georgia City:

• Atlanta: $357,677
• Augusta: $206,172
• Savannah: $288,109
• Columbus: $166,902
• Macon: $159,054
• Athens: $303,706
• Gainesville: $346,044
• Warner Robins: $210,358
• Valdosta: $176,818
• Albany: $143,196
• Dalton: $203,084
• Brunswick: $269,759
• LaGrange: $159,340
• Rome: $192,172
• Hinesville: $204,723
• Statesboro: $216,804
• Jefferson: $359,203
• Dublin: $132,092
• Calhoun: $230,267
• St. Marys: $260,481

(Learn more at Home Affordability Calculator). 

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Utility Costs in Georgia

Average Utility Costs in Georgia: $411 per month

Keeping the home fires burning is an important part of anyone’s monthly budget. Here’s how utility costs break down in Georgia.

• Electricity: $134
• Gas: $141
• Cable and Internet: $108
• Water: $28

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Groceries & Food

Average Grocery & Food Costs in Georgia: $308.25 per person, per month

You gotta eat — and stray peach trees won’t sustain you forever. But how much will you have to spend on food in Georgia?

As mentioned, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates Georgia’s average annual (non-restaurant) food cost per capita at $3,699. When we divide that by 12, we get about $308 per person, per month.

Of course, that figure will vary significantly depending on where, exactly, in Georgia you are. For example, a gallon of milk costs about $2.88 in Albany, whereas it costs only $1.78 in the Augusta area.

The Council for Community and Economic Research  ranks the food costs in major American cities. Here are the rankings for Georgia cities’ grocery costs for the second quarter of 2022, from lowest to highest.

Grocery Items Index by City:

• Dalton: 91.3
• Augusta: 91.7
• Statesboro: 92.1
• Atlanta: 92.5
• Dublin: 94.0
• Savannah: 95.2
• Albany: 96.1
• Douglasville: 96.7
• Valdosta: 101.2

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Transportation

Average Transportation Costs in Georgia: $5,477 to $15,530 per year

Whether it’s commuting to work or schlepping your Atlanta Brave-in-training to baseball practice, you’ve gotta get around. The specific transportation costs you’ll incur depend on how many adults and children are in your family and how many of the adults are earners, but here’s a basic breakdown, according to data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator , based on data for the first quarter of 2023.

Average Annual Transportation Cost by Family Makeup:

• One adult, no children: $5,477
• Two working adults, no children: $9,851
• Two working adults, three children: $15,530

(Learn more at Top 10 Fun Things to Do When Visiting Atlanta).

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Health Care

Average Health Care Costs in Georgia: $6,595 per person, per year

The average annual per-capita cost of health care in Georgia is $6,595, according to the 2021 Bureau of Economic Analysis Personal Consumption Expenditures by State report.

Obviously, specific costs will vary depending on how many people are in your family, what your health insurance coverage looks like, and how often you need medical attention.

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Child Care

Average Child Care Costs in Georgia: $664 to $1,091 or more per child, per month

The cost of child care is a large but necessary expense for most parents, though there is some wiggle room depending on what kind of care you’re seeking.

For example, classroom care is generally more affordable than home-based family child care, and you may be able to find local nanny shares and other options to help lower the overall cost. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning  also offers parents a slate of resources for finding excellent care programs in your community.

Here are the average child care costs in Georgia, per 2021 data from costofchildcare.org  :

Type of Childcare by Average Cost Per Month, Per Child:

• Infant Classroom: $1,031
• Toddler Classroom: $781
• Preschooler Classroom: $664
• Home-based Family Child Care: $1,091

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Taxes

Highest Marginal Tax Rate in Georgia: 5.75%

Along with your federal income tax, Georgia — like most other states — also assesses a state income tax, which is offered in graduate brackets depending on your income level.

Per the Tax Foundation’s State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets for 2023 , the top marginal tax rate in Georgia is 5.75%. While it’s not the highest in the country (for comparison, South Carolina’s rate is 6.5%, and California’s is 13.3%), it’s not the lowest, either, and it’s worth taking into consideration if you’re deciding whether or not to establish residency in Georgia.

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Miscellaneous Costs

All right. We’ve covered all the boring stuff — staying housed, fed, and in the government’s good graces. What about the fun expenses?

As mentioned above, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates personal expenditures at $24,481 per person, per year. Here’s where some of that money might be going (costs are as of March 2023):

• Tickets to an Atlanta Braves game: $54 on average
• Annual membership for Stone Mountain Park: $59.95 per person over 12
• One-day tickets to Six Flags Over Georgia: $34.99 per person and up
• A fried chicken dinner at Savannah’s famous Olde Pink House, of Food Network fame: $34.95, plus tax, tip, drinks and other items

The good news is, plenty of Georgia’s best attractions are 100% free: you can enjoy a stellar sunrise on the beach at Tybee Island, dawdle in Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery, stand in awe of (and maybe some confusion at) the Georgia Guidestones, and wander along Atlanta’s hip urban walking and biking path, the Beltline, without paying a dime.

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How Much Money Do You Need to Live Comfortably in Georgia?

Obviously, “comfortable” means something different to everyone — and the amount of money you’ll need to feel comfortable in Georgia (or anywhere, for that matter) will depend on how many people are in your family, what your lifestyle is like, and many other factors.

That said, Georgia ranks 13th on U.S. News and World Report’s Affordability Ranking , which specifically measures the average cost of living in a given state against the average amount of money most households have.

And MERIC puts the state in fifth place on its lowest-cost-of-living list, which is to say: It can be pretty darn cheap to live here, relatively speaking (and, again, depending on where you are and what your life is like).

Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto.

What City Has the Lowest Cost of Living in Georgia?

To stack the odds in your favor for enjoying a comfortable, low-cost lifestyle in Georgia, we’ve gathered the three major cities with the lowest cost of living, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research’s Cost of Living Index for the second quarter of 2022.

Statesboro, Georgia

With a cost of living index of 83.0, Statesboro is the city ranked lowest in the council’s most recent data. The largest city in and seat of Bulloch County, Statesboro is about an hour northwest of Savannah, giving it a small-town feel within easy reach of a slightly larger city.

Augusta, Georgia

Sitting close enough to the South Carolina border that it was lumped together with Aiken in the index, August enjoys the third-lowest cost of living in Georgia (index 84.5), and also boasts waterfront views of the Savannah River. With a population of over 201,000, according to 2021 census information, this town has a larger population than Savannah and is home to the Morris Museum of Art and the Augusta Museum of History.

Dublin, Georgia

Small and oozing with Southern charm, Dublin is in the heart of the state about an hour southeast of Macon. The council gave it a cost of living index of 85.0, making it the fourth-cheapest city in Georgia to live in — though we should perhaps say “town” instead, since its population is around 16,100.

This article originally appeared on SoFi.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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