Cost of Living in Georgia
What it costs to live in Georgia, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 11,180,878
- Median household income
- $79,991
- State income tax
- Flat 5.2%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 96.3
What a typical paycheck keeps in Georgia
The typical Georgia worker earns $48,170 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $5,014 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $48,170
- Federal income tax
- −$3,600
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,685
- State income tax
- −$1,877
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$16,488
- Everyday costs
- −$17,506
a year, or $418 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across Georgia.
Cost of living in Georgia
Prices across Georgia run 4% below the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing11% below the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)1% below the US average
- Utilities7% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)3% below the US average
- All items4% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,374 | $16,488 |
| Food | $488 | $5,856 |
| Transportation | $386 | $4,632 |
| Healthcare | $343 | $4,116 |
| Utilities | $242 | $2,904 |
| Total before taxes | $2,833 | $33,996 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
Georgia taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 5.2% |
Further triggered rate cuts are possible; 5.19% is the rate published for 2026.
Taxes on the median household income
$79,991 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$8,768 |
| Payroll taxes | −$6,119 |
| State income tax | −$3,529 |
| Effective tax rate | 23% |
Cities in Georgia
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each Georgia city we cover.
What common jobs keep in Georgia
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Dentist | $206,760 | $109,804 |
| Pharmacist | $137,120 | $64,499 |
| Lawyer | $134,830 | $63,054 |
| Software engineer | $131,010 | $60,641 |
| Nurse practitioner | $129,430 | $59,643 |
| Veterinarian | $126,590 | $57,849 |
| Physician assistant | $115,390 | $50,647 |
| Data scientist | $104,340 | $43,447 |
| Occupational therapist | $104,010 | $43,232 |
| Physical therapist | $102,700 | $42,378 |
| Project manager | $102,140 | $42,013 |
| Mechanical engineer | $100,620 | $41,024 |
| Financial analyst | $99,420 | $40,241 |
| Speech-language pathologist | $96,760 | $38,508 |
| Dental hygienist | $95,490 | $37,680 |
Salary pages in Georgia, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher
- Truck driver
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in Georgia
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $618,090 |
| Cardiologists | $610,070 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $425,460 |
| Physicians, All Other | $266,880 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $259,320 |
| Anesthesiologists | $230,000 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $224,630 |
| Chief Executives | $208,180 |
| Dentists, General | $206,760 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $173,940 |
| Financial Managers | $166,790 |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | $163,060 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $161,470 |
| Marketing Managers | $160,760 |
| Sales Managers | $159,890 |
Living in Georgia
Georgia against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | Georgia | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $343,300 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,506 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 36.3% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 29.4 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 14.9% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare Georgia with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in Georgia?
Prices in Georgia are 4% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $1,374 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,459 a month.
Does Georgia have a state income tax?
Yes. Georgia's income tax rate is flat 5.2%. On a typical wage of $48,170, a single filer pays about $1,877 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in Georgia?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $41,500 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in Georgia earns $48,170 and keeps $5,014 after those costs.
Where in Georgia does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the Georgia cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in Augusta ($4,897 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Atlanta ($2,963).
What jobs pay the most in Georgia?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in Georgia goes to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($618,090); Cardiologists ($610,070); General Internal Medicine Physicians ($425,460) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate