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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 5 cities in Georgia on solo-living metrics. Macon leads at index 70 with rent of $1,207/mo.
Why Macon ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 70 on the cost index, residents save roughly 41% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,207/month while the median household pulls in $50,747/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 70, though Healthcare (94) lags behind. Home prices average $167,317 — $300,053 below the national median.
Digging deeper, Here's the state-level backdrop: Georgia averages a 93 cost index, $1,312/mo — we had to double-check this one — rent, and $62,676 income across 6 cities. That's $583 less than the national rent average. Atlanta's metro pull alongside rural affordability — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
Bottom line: Macon leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
#1 Ranked: Macon — cost index 70, rent $1,207/mo, income $50,747
Singles scoring: rent $1,207/mo (solo housing), cost index 70, population 156,512 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
156,512 residents · Georgia
Straight up: Here's Macon by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 70. Rent: $1,207/month. Income: $50,747/year. Home price: $167,317. Population: 156,512. The strongest category is Housing at 70; the most expensive is Healthcare at 94. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $8,256 per year vs. the national median. If you plug these numbers into any cost calculator, they hold up.
200,884 residents · Georgia
Why Augusta ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 77 on the cost index, residents save roughly 34% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,321/month while the median household pulls in $53,134/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 77, though Healthcare (95) lags behind. Home prices average $173,222 — $294,148 below the national median.
510,823 residents · Georgia
Atlanta earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 110 cost index sits 1 points below the national baseline, and the $81,938 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $381,549 — $85,821 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 102, while Housing trails at 110.
147,748 residents · Georgia
What does daily life actually cost in Savannah? Start with the 37% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 101) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $56,782 and homes at $322,470 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
128,628 residents · Georgia
A closer look at Athens: the cost index of 100 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 100 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,720/month — 9% below the national median — while household income sits at $51,655, meaning locals spend about 40% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to singles. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Macon ranks #1 in Georgia for this analysis with a cost index of 70 and median income of $50,747.
Macon scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,207/mo, and competitive median income of $50,747.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Macon (ranked #1) has a cost index of 70 and rent of $1,207/mo, while Athens (ranked #5) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,720/mo — a 30-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Macon is $1,207/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $688 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Macon is $167,317, which is 3.3× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Georgia has a 5.49% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.38%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.83%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.