Cost of Living & Housing in Tybee Island
Tybee Island is genuinely expensive by national housing standards, and its cost of living is shaped substantially by a vacation-rental- and second-home-driven market rather than typical year-round-relocation demand -- a real dynamic disclosed here directly rather than smoothed over.
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Learn moreHousing Prices -- Real Disagreement Between Measurement Windows
Redfin's June 2026 single-month snapshot cites a $624,660 median sale price (down 1.6% year over year), while the same source's trailing-3-month window cites a notably higher $730K (up 16.7% year over year) -- a real, disclosed spread between two legitimate ways of reading the same underlying market, not a typo. Either figure sits well above the national median. Homes here also sold more slowly in the most recent period measured -- 125 days on market on average, versus 66 days the year before -- a real, disclosed cooling signal.
A Housing Stock Built for Vacation Use, Not Primarily for Residents
Total housing units on Tybee Island run roughly 3,227-3,304 across sources, with a disclosed 54.6%-56% vacancy rate -- standard Census-category vacancy dominated in a resort market like this one by seasonal and short-term-rental use, not distress or abandonment. Over 900 licensed vacation rental units currently operate on the island, and one longtime resident's account describes short-term-rental saturation in residential areas growing from roughly 15%-20% of homes to 40%-50% over time. Anyone budgeting to live here year-round should understand that a large share of the island's real estate market -- and its pricing -- is set by buyers pursuing vacation-rental income, not primary-residence relocation.
Property Taxes -- City and County Confirmed, Two District Levies Uncertain
The City of Tybee Island's own 2025 millage rate is 3.542 mills, unchanged since 2023 -- notably modest as a standalone city rate. Layered on top: Chatham County's 2025 County Maintenance & Operations rate (10.518 mills) and county School Board rate (17.331 mills), together with the city rate totaling roughly 31.4 mills as a confirmed floor. Chatham County separately levies a Special Service District rate (6.502 mills) and a Chatham Area Transit rate (0.940 mills); whether either applies to Tybee Island specifically, as its own separately incorporated city with its own police department, was not independently confirmed this session -- a real, disclosed gap. Confirm the full, current combined rate directly with the Chatham County Tax Commissioner before budgeting.
Insurance -- A Genuinely Disputed Homeowners Figure, and a Clear, High Flood-Insurance Figure
One aggregator cites Tybee Island homeowners insurance averaging roughly $924/year -- a figure this page treats with real skepticism because it runs well below the broader, better-corroborated coastal-Chatham/Golden-Isles premium narrative used elsewhere in this dataset for Savannah and St. Simons Island. Flood insurance, a separate mandatory policy standard Georgia homeowners insurance excludes, is far more reliably sourced and dramatically higher: one direct coastal comparison cited a $2,120 Tybee Island flood-insurance quote against just $375 for a comparable Savannah property, with a broader $1,500-$2,800+/year range cited across Savannah's historic district, Tybee Island, and the Golden Isles generally. Tybee Island's Community Rating System Class 5 status does qualify NFIP policyholders for a real 25% premium discount.
Key takeaways
- Redfin's June 2026 single-month median sale price is $624,660 (down 1.6% YoY), while its trailing-3-month window cites a higher $730K (up 16.7% YoY) -- both disclosed rather than reconciled to one figure; homes sold notably more slowly (125 days on market vs. 66 the prior year).
- Total housing units run roughly 3,227-3,304 with a 54.6%-56% vacancy rate, and over 900 licensed vacation rental units operate on the island -- direct evidence that pricing here is shaped substantially by vacation-rental economics, not primary-residence relocation demand.
- The city's own 2025 millage rate is a modest 3.542 mills, but combined with Chatham County's M&O (10.518) and school (17.331) rates, the confirmed floor runs roughly 31.4 mills -- with two additional county district levies (Special Service District, transit) of uncertain applicability to this separately incorporated city.
- Homeowners insurance cost specifically is genuinely disputed (one low aggregator figure of ~$924/year vs. a broader coastal-premium narrative suggesting much higher); flood insurance is clearly and reliably higher here than in Savannah proper ($2,120 vs. $375 in one direct comparison), offset partially by a 25% NFIP discount from the island's CRS Class 5 rating.
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