Moving to North Carolina from Georgia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Georgia to North Carolina — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Georgia to North Carolina, you would find that North Carolina is 3.7% more expensive than Georgia. A $75,000 salary in Georgia would need to be roughly $77,258 in North Carolina to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Georgia to North Carolina.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,258
To maintain the same standard of living in North Carolina
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.7% less
Groceries
pay 15.2% more
Transportation
pay 1.5% more
Housing
pay 4.9% less
Childcare
pay 20.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.3% less
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 North Carolina cost about 9% more than cities in Georgia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Georgia to North Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Georgia performs better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
North Carolina performs significantly better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
North Carolina performs significantly better than Georgia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Georgia generally does better on infrastructure, though North Carolina leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Georgia generally does better on employment & economy, though North Carolina leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
North Carolina performs significantly 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Atlanta | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Atlanta | Asheville |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) |
| Feb | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) |
| Apr | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) |
| May | 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) |
| Aug | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) |
| Oct | 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) |
| Nov | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) |
| Dec | 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in North Carolina than Georgia?
No — North Carolina is on average about 3% more expensive than Georgia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to North Carolina?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,314 in North Carolina on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is North Carolina safe?
Georgia performs better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in North Carolina compared to Georgia?
North Carolina performs significantly better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in North Carolina compared to Georgia?
The average high temperature in Asheville is 67°F, compared to 72°F in Atlanta. Asheville receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Atlanta gets 49.7 in.
