Southeast · Updated October 2026
Georgia in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,528/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
22.9%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
4.99%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.74%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
97.9
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
25th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Georgia sits in the middle of the pack on most measures, with no top-10 or bottom-10 finish on rent, pay, taxes, safety or disaster risk.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 7.7% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 20th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Atlanta (Atlanta Hartsfield Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 56°F | 38°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 74°F | 53°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 89°F | 71°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 74°F | 55°F |
$1,762/mo two-bedroom · $1,619 one-bedroom (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Atlanta is the economic and cultural capital of the Southeast — a major Black professional and creative centre, huge film industry, and the world's busiest airport. Sprawling and traffic-heavy, hot and humid, with a wide range of costs by neighbourhood.
$1,679/mo two-bedroom · $1,542 one-bedroom (Savannah, GA MSA)
Savannah is a small, beautiful, heavily touristed historic port city built around live-oak squares. A strong art-school presence, an excellent food scene, oppressive summer humidity and a job market concentrated in tourism, logistics and the port.
$1,329/mo two-bedroom · $1,202 one-bedroom (Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Augusta is a modest riverside city known mainly for the Masters, with a large medical university and an expanding Army cyber-command presence. Very affordable, quiet, and hot — with a job market increasingly tied to defence technology.
$1,285/mo two-bedroom · $1,103 one-bedroom (Athens-Clarke County, GA MSA)
Athens is a classic Southern college town built around the University of Georgia, with a legendary indie-music history and a compact, walkable downtown. Cheap, young, greener and more liberal than the surrounding region.
$1,309/mo two-bedroom · $1,162 one-bedroom (Macon-Bibb County, GA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Macon is a middle Georgia city with a rich music history, Mercer University and cherry blossoms in spring. Very affordable and full of historic homes, with a struggling core in places and summers that are hot and humid.
$1,212/mo two-bedroom · $1,053 one-bedroom (Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area)
Columbus sits on the Alabama line beside Fort Moore, one of the Army's largest posts. Low cost of living, a whitewater course through the middle of downtown, and an economy dominated by the military and insurance.
$1,543/mo two-bedroom · $1,417 one-bedroom (Gainesville, GA MSA)
Gainesville is a lakeside city on Lake Lanier in north Georgia, the self-styled poultry capital of the world. Growing quickly as Atlanta's exurbs spread north, with foothills close by and moderate costs.
$1,179/mo two-bedroom · $904 one-bedroom (Valdosta, GA MSA)
Valdosta is a south Georgia city near the Florida line, with Valdosta State University and Moody Air Force Base. Cheap, hot and humid, with a small-city pace and Florida beaches a few hours away.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Georgia’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 4.99% (Georgia tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 7.7% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,528 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,374, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $231 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 97.9 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 95.2 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 22.9% of the state’s median household income of $79,991.
Georgia recorded 325.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 25th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are hurricanes and tornadoes. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Georgia’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 25th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Athens and Macon. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.