The 10 Most Affordable Places to Live in Georgia

The 31220 zip code in Macon tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in Georgia.

We looked at 295 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code. 

Top 10 most affordable places to live in Georgia

1. Macon

Here's why the 31220 zip code in Macon is Georgia's most affordable place to live.

🔎 Key data about Macon

Macon's 31220 zip code is the cheapest place to live in Georgia, leading the 295 markets we evaluated. 

The median home value is $237,841, making it the 84th-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a 1.5% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $1,321 per month, which is the 16th cheapest amount in Georgia.

The median property tax for homeowners in Macon is $2,316 per household, the No. 180 ranked market in Georgia. 

Residents pay $0.15 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 1 among Georgia markets.

2. Albany

The 31721 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in Georgia.

🔎 Key data about Albany

Albany's 31721 zip code has a median home value of $227,465, which is the 235th-cheapest housing market in Georgia. You can rent for an average of $1,130 per month. That's the 9th-cheapest price in the state.

The average household income in the zip code is 76243, which ranks 113th-highest in the state. 

Homeowners in Albany pay a median property tax of $2,682 per year, making it the 213th-most affordable market in Georgia.

Albany ranks No. 1 among Georgia energy markets. You'll pay 0.151801886 per kWh of electricity.

3. Columbus

The 3rd-cheapest place to live in Georgia is Columbus's 31907 zip code.

🔎 Key data about Columbus

The No. 30 cheapest housing market in Georgia is Columbus's 31907 zip code, with a median home value of $148,978. Rents in the market average $1,219 per month, making it the 13th-most affordable rental market in the state.

The median property tax for households in Columbus is $1,113, which makes it the 24th-cheapest place in Georgia. Columbus ranks No. 1 among Georgia markets by energy costs. Residents pay 0.151801886 per kWh of electricity.

4. Moultrie

The 31768 zip code in Moultrie comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in Georgia.

🔎 Key data about Moultrie

The No. 20 cheapest housing market in Georgia is Moultrie's 31768 zip code, where the median home value is $130,502. Renters here pay an average of $1,837 per month. 

When it comes to energy costs, Moultrie ranks 1st among Georgia markets. Residents pay 0.151801886 per kWh of electricity.

The median property tax for households in the zip code is $1,080, which makes it the 19th-cheapest market in Georgia.

5. Warner Robins

The 31088 zip code in Warner Robins ranks No. 5 among Georgia's most affordable places to live.

🔎 Key data about Warner Robins

Warner Robins's 31088 zip code has a median home value of $224,995, the 74th-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a 2.1% change in home values in the next year. 

The median property tax per household in Warner Robins is $1,735. It's the 109th-cheapest market by tax rate in Georgia.

6. Valdosta

The No. 6 most affordable place to live in Georgia is the 31601 zip code.

🔎 Key data about Valdosta

The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Valdosta's 31601 zip code, which has the 7th-cheapest home values in Georgia. The median home value is $105,008. Rents average $843 per month, making it the 2nd-most affordable rental market in the state.

Residents pay 0.151801886 per kWh of electricity. It's the 1st-cheapest energy market.

7. Sandersville

Sandersville's 31082 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in Georgia.

🔎 Key data about Sandersville

You'll find the 17th-cheapest home values in Georgia in Sandersville's 31082 zip code. The median value: $129,044. Renters in Sandersville pay an average of $1,837 per month.

Homeowners in Sandersville pay a median property tax of $1,513 per year, which is Georgia's 81st-most affordable market.

The average household income is 47449, which ranks 247th-highest in the state.

8. Sylvester

The 8th-cheapest place to live in Georgia is Sylvester's 31791 zip code.

🔎 Key data about Sylvester

The 29th-cheapest housing market in Georgia is Sylvester's 31791 zip code, with a median home value of $148,352. Renters pay an average of $1,837 per month, the No. 111 rental market in the state.

The median property tax for households in Sylvester is $1,237, which makes it the 43rd-cheapest place in Georgia. The average household income of 58952 ranks 190th.

9. Eastman

Eastman's 31023 zip code sneaks into the top ten of Georgia's most affordable places to live.

🔎 Key data about Eastman

The 16th-cheapest housing market in Georgia is Eastman's 31023 zip code, where the median home value is $127,001. Renters pay an average of $1,837 per month. It's the state's 111th-cheapest rental market.

The median property tax for households within the zip code is $1,097, which makes it the 22nd-cheapest property tax rate in Georgia. 

10. Cordele

The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in Georgia goes to the 31015 zip code in Cordele.

🔎 Key data about Cordele

The 14th-most affordable market in Georgia is Cordele's 31015 zip code. The median home value is $125,186. Rent in the market costs $1,837 per month on average, making it the 111th-most affordable rental market in Georgia.

The median property tax for households in Cordele is $1,470, which is the 77th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.

Cordele ranks No. 1 among Georgia markets by energy costs, with households paying 0.151801886 per kWh of electricity.

How we ranked the most affordable places in Georgia

We evaluated 295 zip codes in Georgia with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings. 

Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.

• Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in Georgia, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 23.8% to median home value.
  
• Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 23.8% to the home affordability ratio.
  
• Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value five-year change.
  
• Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 4.8% to the home value one-year forecast.
  
• Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 11.9% to rental costs. 

• Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 4.8% to median household income.
  
• Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 11.9% to the rent affordability ratio.
  
• Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the Georgia average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to property taxes. 

• Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the Georgia average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 7.1% to energy costs.  

✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city. 

Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location. 

If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.

Related articles

8 Steps to Buying a House in Georgia

In this guide, we cover how to buy a house in Georgia, including how to afford a down payment, go house hunting, and negotiate with sellers.

The Best Time to Buy a House in Georgia (2024 Update)

Best time to buy in ➡️ Atlanta Buying a house in can be stressful, but you can make it easier by starting the home-buying process at the right time.  The best time to buy a house in depends on your priorities and situation. This article examines listing prices, housing inventory, and mortgage rate trends in […]

How Much Does It Cost to Buy a House in Georgia?

There's more to buying a house than paying the down payment and realtor commissions. Read this comprehensive guide for a full rundown of all the costs to buy a house in Georgia.

Best Real Estate Sites for Buyers in 2025

We've compiled a list of the best house buying websites so you can quickly find ALL the properties for sale in your area. Jumpstart your home hunting journey today!