Overall
93.3
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Cost-of-living indicators for Athens-Clarke County, GA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 93.3
- Overall RPP
- #201
- of 387 metros
- 76.8
- Rents RPP
- $107K
- $100K national buys
Athens ranks #201 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Morgantown
The verdict
Athens costs less than 52% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 93.3, 6.7% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 76.8.
- bottom 48%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 89.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $107,132 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $93,343.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$93,343
in Athens-Clarke County, GA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$46,672
$75,000 nationally
$70,007
$125,000 nationally
$116,679
$150,000 nationally
$140,015
$200,000 nationally
$186,686
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
55/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
55th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Athens's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Athens: rents index at 76.8, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 93.3.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC, Burlington, NC, Roanoke, VA. They resemble Athens across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Athens's overall index has stayed within 0.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Athens vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
93 Bottom 48% higher than 48% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Athens cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
76.8 RPP
- Services
Services
89.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
93.3 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Athens's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 76.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 89.3. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Athens's cost comes from
Metros near Athens's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Athens (Athens, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 76.8
- Morgantown: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 69.1
- Akron: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 76.8
- Traverse City: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 78.1
- Greenville: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 76.8
- Lafayette: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 76.4
- Homosassa Springs: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 78.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
89.3
Cheap
Rents
76.8
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Athens's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 93.5 in 2023 to 93.3 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 87.4 to 89.3. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 4.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Athens overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 94.2 |
| 2009 | 94.3 |
| 2010 | 94.7 |
| 2011 | 94.4 |
| 2012 | 93.3 |
| 2013 | 93.4 |
| 2014 | 93.5 |
| 2015 | 92.9 |
| 2016 | 93.7 |
| 2017 | 93.8 |
| 2018 | 90.5 |
| 2019 | 90.6 |
| 2020 | 90.2 |
| 2021 | 94.4 |
| 2022 | 93.4 |
| 2023 | 93.5 |
| 2024 | 93.3 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Athens-Clarke County, GA's index of 93.3.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
GA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Athens-Clarke County, GA near the bottom of GA's metros
Among the 14 GA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Athens-Clarke County, GA ranks #4 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Athens-Clarke County, GA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 14
0th percentile in GA
Services prices
#7 of 14
50th percentile in GA
Rent prices
#6 of 14
57th percentile in GA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within GA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Athens-Clarke County, GA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (93.3 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (76.8 here).
Other GA Metros
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 100.1 Gainesville, GA 96.8 Savannah, GA 95.2 Hinesville, GA 93.9 Warner Robins, GA 93.8 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 91.9
View all GA metros → Cheapest in GA → Most expensive in GA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Athens's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.8 · Rents 76.8 Burlington, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.2 · Rents 77.9 Roanoke, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 88.9 · Rents 78.5 Greensboro-High Point, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.1 · Rents 74.5 Tallahassee, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 78.5 Homosassa Springs, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 78.4
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Athens
How to read Athens's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $107,132 in Athens. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 76.8, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Athens head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Athens-Clarke County, GA?
Athens-Clarke County, GA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 93.3, meaning it is 6.7% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 89.3, and rents at 76.8. It ranks #201 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Athens-Clarke County, GA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $93,343 in Athens-Clarke County, GA. Conversely, $100K earned in Athens-Clarke County, GA has the purchasing power of $107,132 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Athens-Clarke County, GA?
Rents in Athens-Clarke County, GA are indexed at 76.8, which is 23.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Athens-Clarke County, GA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Athens-Clarke County, GA's overall cost index changed by -0.9 points (from 94.2 to 93.3). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Athens-Clarke County, GA?
The priciest category in Athens-Clarke County, GA is goods at 96.3, 3.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 76.8, 23.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Athens-Clarke County, GA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Morgantown, Akron, Traverse City. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Athens-Clarke County, GA's 93.3.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.