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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Georgia — known for Atlanta's metro pull alongside rural affordability, we evaluated 5 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Augusta is the top pick for 2026.
#1 Ranked: Augusta — cost index 77, rent $1,321/mo, income $53,134
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 95, state tax 5.49%, cost index 77 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Georgia — known for Atlanta's metro pull alongside rural affordability, we evaluated 5 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Augusta is the top pick for 2026.
Here's Augusta by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 77. Rent: $1,321/month. Income: $53,134/year. Home price: $173,222. Population: 200,884. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,888 per year vs. the national median. That's the kind of affordability that turns 'maybe someday' into 'next month.'
Bottom line: Augusta 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.
200,884 residents · Georgia
A closer look at Augusta: the cost index of 77 — worth pausing on — 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
Dive into Macon's numbers: cost index 70 (41 points below national average), rent $1,207/month, income $50,747, and a home price of $167,317. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 70, while Healthcare runs 94. With 156,512 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
510,823 residents · Georgia
Why Atlanta ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 110 on the cost index, residents save roughly 1% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,888/month while the median household pulls in $81,938/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (110) lags behind. Home prices average $381,549 — $85,821 below the national median.
147,748 residents · Georgia
Dive into Savannah's numbers: cost index 101 (10 points below national average), rent $1,736/month, income $56,782, and a home price of $322,470. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 101. With 147,748 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
128,628 residents · Georgia
Athens earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 100 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $51,655 — we had to double-check this one — median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $332,919 — $134,451 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 100, while Healthcare trails at 100.
Augusta ranks #1 in Georgia for this analysis with a cost index of 77 and median income of $53,134.
Augusta scores highest for retirees due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,321/mo, and competitive median income of $53,134.
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.
Augusta (ranked #1) has a cost index of 77 and rent of $1,321/mo, while Athens (ranked #5) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,720/mo — a 23-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 Augusta is $1,321/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $574 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Augusta is $173,222, 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.