Cost of Living in Augusta
Augusta runs genuinely well below the national cost-of-living average -- BestPlaces.net scores it at 80 against a 100 national baseline, meaning day-to-day costs run about 20% below the U.S. average. The more interesting, less obvious fact: Augusta actually runs about 15.3% ABOVE the average across Georgia specifically, a real reminder that Georgia as a whole (weighted by many low-cost rural counties) is cheaper than its urban centers, Augusta included.
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Learn moreThe Overall Index, and Why the Georgia Comparison Matters
BestPlaces.net's cost-of-living index for Augusta (retrieved August 2026) scores the city at 80 against a national baseline of 100 -- 20% below the national average. That headline is genuinely favorable, but the same source notes Augusta runs 15.3% higher than the Georgia state average, a detail worth taking seriously: 'cheaper than the nation' and 'cheaper than Georgia' are not the same claim, and Augusta is only the first, not the second.
Housing Costs Drive Most of the Advantage
Augusta's clearest cost advantage is housing: a citywide median home sale price around $220,000 (see the housing-market topic page) sits well below both the national median and the medians of Georgia's larger metros (Atlanta, Savannah -- see georgia-tier-a-1.js for those figures). Rent estimates vary by source but land in a similar below-national-average range (see the renting topic page).
No State Income Tax Advantage Here -- Unlike Texas or Florida
Unlike Houston or Tampa-area comparisons elsewhere on this site, Georgia does levy a state personal income tax -- a flat rate cited at 4.99% for 2026 under HB 463 (signed May 2026, retroactive to January 1, 2026, cutting the prior 5.19% rate), continuing a legislated multi-year step-down toward an eventual 3.99% target, subject to revenue triggers. This is a real structural difference from Georgia's no-income-tax Sun Belt peers; see the taxes topic page for the full picture.
Wages Are Also Below National Averages
As with most below-national-cost-of-living metros, Augusta's typical household income runs below national figures too -- a below-average cost of living generally sits alongside below-average typical earnings here, not a pure win either way. A precise, current, independently confirmed Augusta-specific median household income figure was not resolved to one number this session; treat the BestPlaces cost-of-living index as the more reliably sourced figure on this page.
Key takeaways
- Augusta's overall cost of living runs about 20% below the U.S. average (BestPlaces.net index: 80) -- but about 15.3% ABOVE the Georgia state average, a real and easy-to-miss distinction.
- Housing is the biggest driver of the national-level advantage: a ~$220,000 citywide median sale price sits well below the national median and below Atlanta's and Savannah's medians in this same Georgia batch.
- Georgia levies a flat state income tax (4.99% for 2026 per HB 463, down from 5.19%, with a legislated path toward 3.99%) -- a genuine structural difference from Texas's and Florida's no-income-tax models covered elsewhere on this site.
- Below-average cost of living generally sits alongside below-average typical wages here; a precise, current Augusta-specific median household income figure was not resolved to one number this session.
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