Moving to Georgia from California

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What to Expect

Considering a move from California to Georgia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from California to Georgia, you would find that Georgia is 17.3% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $60,166 in Georgia to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between California and Georgia.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $60,166

To maintain the same standard of living in Georgia

Calculate with your salary →

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 15.4% less

Groceries

pay 15.2% less

Transportation

pay 10.8% less

Housing

pay 19.2% less

Childcare

pay 33.8% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 20.2% less

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Georgia cost about 28% less than cities in California.

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in Georgia compared to California.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

CA
503
GA
343
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

CA
2303
GA
1779

Georgia performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

CA
6.8%
GA
11.8%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

CA
28.4%
GA
37.0%

California performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

CA
$695,400
GA
$272,900
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

CA
$1,956
GA
$1,306

Georgia performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

CA
92.6%
GA
89.5%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

CA
29 min
GA
28 min

California generally does better on infrastructure, though Georgia leads in average commute.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

CA
5.1%
GA
3.3%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

CA
$84,028
GA
$61,706

California generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

CA
79.0 yrs
GA
75.6 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

CA
25%
GA
22%

California performs better than Georgia across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

SacramentoRain: 18.5 in/yr (470 mm)
74°/48°F

Avg. annual high / low

AtlantaRain: 49.7 in/yr (1263 mm)
72°/53°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsSacramentoAtlanta
Jan–Mar60°/41°F (15°/5°C)58°/39°F (14°/4°C)
Apr–Jun79°/51°F (26°/11°C)79°/60°F (26°/16°C)
Jul–Sep90°/57°F (32°/14°C)86°/69°F (30°/20°C)
Oct–Dec65°/44°F (18°/7°C)64°/45°F (17°/7°C)
View all months
MonthSacramentoAtlanta
Jan54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C)52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C)
Feb60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C)57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C)
Mar65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C)65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C)
Apr71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C)72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C)
May80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C)80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C)
Jun87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C)86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C)
Jul92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C)89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C)
Aug91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C)88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C)
Sep87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C)82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C)
Oct78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C)73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C)
Nov64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C)64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C)
Dec54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C)54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Georgia than California?

On average Georgia is about 20% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.

How much money do I need to move to Georgia?

Budget about $15,042 for 3 months in Georgia (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Georgia safe?

Georgia performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Georgia compared to California?

California performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Georgia compared to California?

The average high temperature in Atlanta is 72°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Atlanta receives around 49.7 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.

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