Moving to Georgia
New residents have 30 days to get a Georgia driver license and must register a car within 30 days. Prices are 3.7% below the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $4,242 in Georgia income tax. 148,244 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Florida and New York.
New resident checklist for Georgia
Driver license
Within 30 days of becoming a resident; vision exam only with a valid out-of-state license (knowledge and road tests waived); surrender old license. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Georgia address.
Vehicle title and registration
Register and title at the County Tag Office within 30 days of moving; a Georgia license/ID is required first. Emissions inspection required in 13 metro-Atlanta counties. Switch your auto insurance to a Georgia policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: Yes: one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) at a reduced 3% of fair market value for new residents, plus $18 title fee. TAVT replaces sales tax and annual ad valorem tax.
Annual registration: Flat $20 annual registration fee for passenger cars (vehicles titled under TAVT pay no annual ad valorem tax). All-electric vehicles also pay an annual alternative fuel vehicle fee: $238.59 for registrations from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $239.
Establishing residency
You are a resident if you have a permanent home in Georgia, take a job or enroll children in school here, or have been present in the state 30+ days. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Georgia
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Georgia income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,608 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: dor.georgia.gov. Sources: dds.georgia.gov, dds.georgia.gov (2), dor.georgia.gov (2), dor.georgia.gov (3), dor.georgia.gov (4). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Georgia motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Georgia
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Georgia.
Equal salary in GA: $78,100
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $78,100 in Georgia to match $80,000 in Florida ($1,900 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $80,000 | Florida | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $8,770 | $8,770 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| State income tax | $0 | $3,244 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $65,110 | $61,867 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Georgia: Florida to Georgia, New York to Georgia, Texas to Georgia, California to Georgia, Alabama to Georgia and North Carolina to Georgia.
Living in Georgia: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Georgia is not in the best 10 on any of the measures we rank, and in the worst 10 for car insurance.
- Median rent
- $1,506/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $2,165/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $74,939 $140 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.74% median $2,554/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 73.6 of 100 Above average for U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 148,244 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Georgia
How Georgia ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Georgia ranks best
Georgia is not in the best 10 on any of these measures. Its strongest is natural hazard risk, 16th lowest of 51.
Where Georgia ranks worst
- Bottom 10 Highest car insurance costs: $1,555 a year per car on average (NAIC 2023), 6th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Georgia residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 148,244 households filed their taxes in Georgia after filing in another state the year before. Florida sent the most, 28,263 households (19% of the total). Georgia gained a net 14,671 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Georgia from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 153,844 households, then fell 4% to 148,244 in 2022–23, up 14% from 2018–19. Georgia gained households from other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 +16,722, 2019–20 +17,338, 2020–21 +25,535, 2021–22 +24,028, 2022–23 +14,671.
Cost of living in Georgia vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Georgia are 3.7% below the U.S. average, 25th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in housing (88.7), 11% below the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $151/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,555/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $615/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Georgia: take-home pay at three incomes
Georgia taxes wages. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | GA income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,747 | $40,609 | -$170 |
| $100,000 | $4,242 | $74,939 | -$140 |
| $150,000 | $6,737 | $107,055 | -$532 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Georgia income taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 4% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $2,554 a year in property tax, 0.74% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Georgia taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Georgia: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 4 Georgia metro areas we cover, Columbus, GA is the best value: about $69,500 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. Atlanta takes the most, $79,700.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, GA | $69,500 | 89.3 | $1,143 | $224,600 |
| Augusta | $71,900 | 91.9 | $1,243 | $262,100 |
| Savannah | $75,100 | 95.2 | $1,589 | $349,900 |
| Atlanta | $79,700 | 100.1 | $1,770 | $402,100 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Parts of Georgia also belong to the Chattanooga metro area, which is centered outside Georgia.
Housing and home insurance in Georgia
| Measure | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,506 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $343,300 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,165 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $92,777 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,554 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,608 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Georgia for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Georgia
Georgia's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 73.6 of 100, above average for U.S. counties and 16th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $313 per resident a year, and about 29% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Georgia county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Georgia come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 148,244 households moved to Georgia from other states. The most came from Florida (28,263 households), New York (9,138) and Texas (9,120).
What are the pros and cons of living in Georgia?
Georgia is not in the best 10 of the 50 states and D.C. on any measure we rank; its strongest is natural hazard risk, 16th lowest of 51. Where it ranks worst: highest car insurance costs, 6th highest of 51.
Is Georgia expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Georgia are 3.7% below the U.S. average (BEA price level 96.3, 2024), 25th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,506 a month and the median home is worth $343,300.
How long do I have to get a Georgia driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Within 30 days of becoming a resident; vision exam only with a valid out-of-state license (knowledge and road tests waived); surrender old license.
How long do I have to register my car in Georgia?
30 days. Register and title at the County Tag Office within 30 days of moving; a Georgia license/ID is required first. Emissions inspection required in 13 metro-Atlanta counties.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Georgia?
Yes: one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) at a reduced 3% of fair market value for new residents, plus $18 title fee. TAVT replaces sales tax and annual ad valorem tax.
What makes me a Georgia resident?
You are a resident if you have a permanent home in Georgia, take a job or enroll children in school here, or have been present in the state 30+ days.