State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Georgia
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Georgia from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 14 metro areas.
- 96.3
- Statewide RPP
- #27
- of 51 states by cost
- 88.7
- Rents RPP
- 14
- Metro areas
Georgia ranks #27 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has risen 2.0 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- fell -0.2 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to Michigan
The verdict
Georgia costs less than 53% of U.S. states, a statewide index of 96.3, 3.7% below the national average.
- Rents
- furthest category from 100, at 88.7
- Michigan
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.1 points away
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
- highest-cost metro, 100.1
- Albany
- lowest-cost metro, 87.7
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $103,850 when earned in Georgia.
Georgia vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
96 Bottom 47% higher than 47% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
Reading the Georgia Cost of Living Picture
Georgia clusters near the national line with Michigan, Maine, Texas as its closest statewide peers. In that near-par lane, the component mix matters more than the small headline distance from 100. Only 10.2 points separate its reported categories, so the statewide index transfers across household types more cleanly than it does in a polarized cost profile.
Georgia captures 14 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA leads on cost at 100.1, while Albany, GA sits at the opposite end at 87.7 - a gap of 12.4 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 98.9, for services 92.8, and for rents 88.7. Rents sit within 7.6 points of the statewide index, so no single category is distorting the headline — unusual, and it makes the state number more transferable between households than most.
Over time, Georgia's statewide index has climbed by 2.0 points, meaning the cost gap between this state and cheaper parts of the country has widened. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $103,850 of national buying power when earned inside Georgia, and a household relocating here would need roughly $96,293 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. With 14 reporting metros inside the state, treat this figure as the midpoint of a range rather than a quote for any one address.
Metro areas in Georgia, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | 100.1 | 100.4 | 96.2 | 111.0 |
| 2 | Gainesville | 96.8 | 96.3 | 89.6 | 93.5 |
| 3 | Savannah | 95.2 | 96.3 | 88.6 | 86.0 |
| 4 | Hinesville | 93.9 | 96.3 | 86.8 | 79.5 |
| 5 | Warner Robins | 93.8 | 96.3 | 88.1 | 79.2 |
| 6 | Athens-Clarke County | 93.3 | 96.3 | 89.3 | 76.8 |
| 7 | Augusta-Richmond County | 91.9 | 96.3 | 89.5 | 70.6 |
| 8 | Rome | 90.2 | 96.3 | 90.7 | 60.3 |
| 9 | Dalton | 89.8 | 96.3 | 88.8 | 63.3 |
| 10 | Columbus | 89.3 | 96.3 | 89.7 | 61.2 |
| 11 | Macon-Bibb County | 88.5 | 96.3 | 89.5 | 58.9 |
| 12 | Valdosta | 88.3 | 96.3 | 87.8 | 58.8 |
| 13 | Brunswick-St. Simons | 87.7 | 96.3 | 87.3 | 56.3 |
| 14 | Albany | 87.7 | 96.3 | 88.3 | 54.6 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Georgia's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 96.5 in 2023 to 96.3 in 2024. The largest category move was goods, changing from 97.7 to 98.9. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Georgia RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has risen 2.0 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 94.3 |
| 2009 | 91.9 |
| 2010 | 94.6 |
| 2011 | 93.7 |
| 2012 | 95.3 |
| 2013 | 94.9 |
| 2014 | 95.0 |
| 2015 | 94.7 |
| 2016 | 95.0 |
| 2017 | 95.3 |
| 2018 | 94.8 |
| 2019 | 94.4 |
| 2020 | 94.5 |
| 2021 | 95.7 |
| 2022 | 95.7 |
| 2023 | 96.5 |
| 2024 | 96.3 |
What this means in Georgia
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Georgia.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (100.1) and Albany (87.7) sit 12 index points apart inside Georgia. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 88.7 (11.3% below average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Georgia against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Georgia, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Georgia: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (96.3 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (88.7 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Georgia sit versus the national cost-of-living line?
Georgia has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 96.3, meaning it is 3.7% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 98.9, services at 92.8, and rents at 88.7.
What salary in Georgia equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $96,293 in Georgia. Conversely, $100K earned in Georgia has the purchasing power of $103,850 at the national average.
Is housing expensive in Georgia?
Rents in Georgia are indexed at 88.7, which is 11.3% below the national average. The state is relatively affordable for renters.
Which metros stretch Georgia's cost range the widest?
The most expensive metro area in Georgia is Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA with an RPP of 100.1. The most affordable is Albany, GA at 87.7. There are 14 metro areas in Georgia with BEA price data.
Has the cost of living in Georgia been climbing?
From 2008 to 2024, Georgia's overall cost index changed by +2.0 points (from 94.3 to 96.3). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.