Cost of Living & Housing in Brunswick
Brunswick runs genuinely below the national average on both housing and overall cost of living -- a real, disclosed contrast with the much pricier St. Simons Island market a short causeway drive away in the same county. Homeowners insurance is the one cost category where sources disagree sharply, and that disagreement is disclosed rather than resolved by picking the lower figure.
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Learn moreHousing: A Genuinely Affordable Median, Rising Fast
Redfin's most recent snapshot puts Brunswick's median sale price at $256,846 (May 2026), up 21.2% year over year -- a real, substantial appreciation pace even from a low base. For direct comparison, St. Simons Island (same county) is sourced elsewhere in this dataset at a $664,000 median for the same general period -- Brunswick runs at roughly 39% of that figure. This is the clearest single number distinguishing Brunswick's working-city affordability from the barrier island's resort pricing.
Overall Cost of Living: Genuinely Below National Average
BestPlaces cites a cost-of-living index of 90.9 for Brunswick (9.1% below the U.S. average, though 3.8% above the Georgia state average); AreaVibes independently cites a lower 85 (15% below national, with housing specifically 38% below the national average). Both sources agree Brunswick runs meaningfully below the national average even though the exact index varies by source.
Property Taxes: Two Layers, One Confirmed and One Not
Glynn County's 2025 millage rate is confirmed at 14.9 mills (county government plus county school board, both held flat from 2024) -- this applies to Brunswick the same as it applies to unincorporated Glynn County. On top of that, Brunswick residents pay a separate CITY millage that St. Simons Island residents do not: the most recently confirmed figure found this session was 13.219 mills, but the City of Brunswick's own 2025 tax notice disclosed an intent to raise that rate by 8.18% over the rollback rate -- meaning the actual final adopted 2025 city rate is very likely higher than 13.219 mills but was not independently confirmed this session. Confirm the current combined city-plus-county rate directly with the City of Brunswick Finance Department or Glynn County Tax Office before budgeting.
Homeowners Insurance: A Real, Disclosed Source Conflict
One aggregator cites Brunswick homeowners insurance at approximately $749/year -- a figure this record treats with real skepticism, because it directly conflicts with the broader, better-corroborated finding from the same research pass that Brunswick, Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, and Sea Island together rank among Georgia's MOST expensive home insurance markets, with coastal Glynn County specifically cited among the counties paying the steepest premiums statewide (against a Georgia state average cited at roughly $1,700-$2,286/year). Treat the $749 figure as unreliable, likely a generic/templated site estimate not adjusted for genuine coastal windstorm risk -- get a property-specific quote from a coastal-Georgia specialist rather than relying on any single cited number.
Key takeaways
- Brunswick's $256,846 median sale price (up 21.2% YoY) runs at roughly 39% of neighboring St. Simons Island's $664,000 median -- a real, substantial affordability gap within the same county.
- Overall cost of living runs genuinely below the national average (BestPlaces index 90.9, AreaVibes index 85) -- both sources agree on the direction even though the exact figure varies.
- Brunswick residents pay Glynn County's confirmed 14.9-mill county/school rate PLUS a separate city millage -- the most recently confirmed city figure is 13.219 mills, but the city disclosed an intent to raise it 8.18% for 2025, and the final adopted rate was not confirmed this session.
- Homeowners insurance cost data disagrees sharply: one low-confidence estimate ($749/year) directly conflicts with the broader finding that coastal Glynn County carries some of Georgia's steepest premiums -- get a property-specific quote rather than trusting a single aggregator figure.
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