What salary do you need to live in Augusta, GA?

The cost side of living in Augusta

Renters in Augusta pay a median $1,069 a month for two bedrooms. Size matters: one bedroom is $974, three bedrooms $1,216, so going from the smallest to the largest of the three adds $2,904 a year.

On the ownership side, the typical owner-occupied home is valued at $226,100. Against a median household income of $69,344, the ratio is 3.3× — one of the gentler home-price-to-income ratios in the country.

BEA's Regional Price Parity for the metro is 91.9, where 100 is the US average. In plain terms, the full basket of goods, services and housing costs 8.1% less than average, so $100,000 here buys roughly what $108,810 would at average US prices.

Income needed for each grade in Augusta

For two bedrooms, $115,000 is where Augusta turns Comfortable. Below that, $57,000 marks the start of Okay and $29,000 the start of Tight; under $29,000 the score reads Stretched. Rent at the Comfortable line is 11% of gross pay.

The Royal grade is within reach at $329,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

These lines come straight from the calculator's formula: the income is raised until the two-bedroom score crosses each cutoff, then rounded up to the next $1,000.

Scores at $50K, $75K, $100K and $150K in Augusta

Choosing a bigger place in Augusta at $75,000 trims the score from 54 to 51 without leaving Okay.

Of the four salaries, $150,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $100,000 still lands at Okay.

Augusta compared with every US metro

Ranked against all 387 metros, Augusta sits 247th on overall price level and 240th on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 247th.

Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Appleton, WI ($1,069) and Janesville-Beloit, WI ($1,068).

Comparing Augusta with Georgia

Statewide, Georgia's median two-bedroom rent is $1,326 and its median home value $303,300. Augusta's rent is −19% against that, and its home value −25%; the price parity is 91.9 versus 96.3 for the state. The metro also reaches into South Carolina; it is compared with Georgia, home of its first-named principal city.

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $163,000 — above Augusta's $115,000 line.

Looking for somewhere comparable without leaving Georgia? Warner Robins, GA, Hinesville, GA, and Chattanooga, TN-GA have the closest mix of rent and overall prices.

Where the typical Augusta household lands

The median household in the metro earns $69,344 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 51, Okay. Put differently, Augusta's typical household is $45,656 below the $115,000 it takes to read Comfortable on two bedrooms. For Georgia as a whole, the median household income of $77,353 scores 44 against statewide rents. Household income can include more than one earner, so a single salary of the same size goes less far.

These are pre-tax estimates from public statistics, not financial advice.