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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The income-cost paradox: Atlanta pays $81,938 — 2% above the national median — while costing just 110 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 5-city ranking for 2026.
#1 Ranked: Atlanta — cost index 110, rent $1,888/mo, income $81,938
Atlanta: high income, low cost — a rare combo
5 of 5 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Atlanta | 5.49% | 7.38% | 0.83% | $58,092 |
2Augusta | 5.49% | 7.38% | 0.83% | $58,092 |
3Macon | 5.49% | 7.38% | 0.83% | $58,092 |
4Savannah | 5.49% | 7.38% | 0.83% | $58,092 |
5Athens | 5.49% | 7.38% | 0.83% | $58,092 |
The income-cost paradox: Atlanta pays $81,938 — 2% above the national median — while costing just 110 on the index. Only 40 of 288 tracked cities share this unusual profile. Here's the full 5-city ranking for 2026.
Dive into Atlanta's numbers: cost index 110 (1 points below national average), rent $1,888/month, income $81,938, and a home price of $381,549. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 110. As a major city with 510,823 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
Tax burden isn't just income tax. We combine three layers: state income tax (5.49% in Atlanta), combined state+local sales tax (7.38%), and effective property tax (0.83%). At 5.49% state income tax, the real differentiator becomes sales and property tax rates. On a $75,000 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — salary, the estimated take-home in #1 Atlanta is $53,592/year (that's pre-tax, of course).
Atlanta: high income, low cost — a rare combo. Atlanta earns above the national median ($81,938 vs $80,367) while keeping costs below average (index 110 vs 111). That combination is exceptionally rare — only 40 of 288 cities share it. Standard stuff, really.
Put differently: State context matters: Georgia's 6 cities average a 93 cost index with $1,312/month median rent and $62,676 household income. Atlanta's metro pull alongside rural affordability. The methodology section explains how we weighted each factor — it matters.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
510,823 residents · Georgia
A closer look at Atlanta: the cost index of 110 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 102 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 110 (weakest). Median rent is $1,888/month — 0% above the national median — while household income sits at $81,938, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
200,884 residents · Georgia
Straight up: a closer look at Augusta: the cost index of 77 breaks down to a Housing index of 77 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 95 (weakest). Median rent is $1,321/month — 30% below the national median — while household income sits at $53,134, meaning locals spend about 30% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
156,512 residents · Georgia
Macon earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 70 cost index sits 41 points below the national baseline, and the $50,747 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $167,317 — $300,053 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 70, while Healthcare trails at 94.
147,748 residents · Georgia
Why Savannah ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 101 on the cost index, residents save roughly 10% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,736/month while the median household pulls in $56,782/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 100, though Housing (101) lags behind. Home prices average $322,470 — $144,900 below the national median.
128,628 residents · Georgia
Look, Here's Athens by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 100. Rent: $1,720/month. Income: $51,655/year. Home price: $332,919. Population: 128,628. The strongest category is Healthcare at 100; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,100 per year vs. the national median. For families with student loans, that cost gap is a second income.
Atlanta ranks #1 in Georgia for this analysis with a cost index of 110 and median income of $81,938.
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.
Atlanta (ranked #1) has a cost index of 110 and rent of $1,888/mo, while Athens (ranked #5) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,720/mo — a 10-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 Atlanta is $1,888/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $7 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Atlanta is $381,549, which is 4.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.