Overall
91.9
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Cost-of-living indicators for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.9
- Overall RPP
- #247
- of 387 metros
- 70.6
- Rents RPP
- $109K
- $100K national buys
Augusta ranks #247 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Omaha
The verdict
Augusta costs less than 64% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.9, 8.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 70.6.
- bottom 36%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 89.5
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,810 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,903.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$91,903
in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,952
$75,000 nationally
$68,927
$125,000 nationally
$114,879
$150,000 nationally
$137,855
$200,000 nationally
$183,806
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
68/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
68th 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.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 2.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Augusta overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 91.1 |
| 2009 | 90.6 |
| 2010 | 92.3 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 93.5 |
| 2013 | 93.2 |
| 2014 | 92.5 |
| 2015 | 93.2 |
| 2016 | 93.6 |
| 2017 | 92.4 |
| 2018 | 91.4 |
| 2019 | 90.3 |
| 2020 | 89.7 |
| 2021 | 91.9 |
| 2022 | 91.8 |
| 2023 | 91.2 |
| 2024 | 91.9 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Augusta's overall RPP rose +0.7 points, from 91.2 in 2023 to 91.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 67.8 to 70.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Augusta's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Augusta: rents index at 70.6, 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 91.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Winston-Salem, NC, Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA, Duluth, MN-WI. They resemble Augusta 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, Augusta's overall index has stayed within 0.8 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.
Augusta vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 36% higher than 36% 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
Augusta cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
70.6 RPP
- Services
Services
89.5 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Augusta's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 70.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 89.5. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Augusta's cost comes from
Metros near Augusta's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Augusta (Augusta, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 70.6
- Omaha: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 86.4
- Bay City: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 66.7
- Midland: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 66.7
- Fayetteville: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 73.1
- Amarillo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 78.4
- Jackson: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 67.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
89.5
Cheap
Rents
70.6
Cheap
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC's index of 91.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Augusta'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.
Winston-Salem, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 71.4 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
Goods 96.8 · Services 89.5 · Rents 68.2 Duluth, MN-WI
Goods 95.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 71.1 Lawrence, KS
Goods 94.0 · Services 89.3 · Rents 71.6 Wausau, WI
Goods 93.8 · Services 90.0 · Rents 71.5 Rockford, IL
Goods 93.6 · Services 89.4 · Rents 70.1
GA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC toward the top of GA's metros
Among the 14 GA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC ranks #3 - the 79th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 14
79th percentile in GA
Services prices
#6 of 14
57th percentile in GA
Rent prices
#7 of 14
50th 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC: 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 (91.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (70.6 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA 93.3
View all GA metros → Cheapest in GA → Most expensive in GA →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
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.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Augusta
How to read Augusta'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 $108,810 in Augusta. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 70.6, 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 Augusta 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.9, meaning it is 8.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 89.5, and rents at 70.6. It ranks #247 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,903 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC. Conversely, $100K earned in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC has the purchasing power of $108,810 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?
Rents in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC are indexed at 70.6, which is 29.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC's overall cost index changed by +0.8 points (from 91.1 to 91.9). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?
The priciest category in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 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 70.6, 29.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Omaha, Bay City, Midland. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC's 91.9.
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.