Savannah, GA Cost Of Living

Savannah cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Savannah	Georgia	National
Cost of living index	94	93	100
Index	Savannah	Georgia	National
Goods & Services index	98	96	100
Groceries index	94	99	100
Health care index	98	96	100
Housing index	84	86	100
Transportation index	97	96	100
Utilities index	109	97	100

The above illustration supplies generalized information for the Savannah, GA cost of living index. Compared to other cities in Georgia and cities across the country, the cost of living index in Savannah, GA is 94, which is 1% higher than the Georgia average and 6% lower than that for the entire country. The index is comprised of the following criteria: cost of retail goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), cost of public/private transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). Everyday goods and services, along with housing account for 63 percent of the total cost of living index. Goods and services that are a necessity regardless of location provide an accurate general sense of the cost of living in one city versus another. As seen above, the cost of retail goods and services in Savannah, GA are 2% higher than the average for Georgia and 2% lower than the rest of the country.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Savannah is 1% higher than the Georgia average.
The cost of living in Savannah is 6% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in Savannah is 16% lower than the national average.
Georgia general sales tax is 21% lower than the national average.
Georgia state income tax is 55% lower than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Use the salary calculator to compare your current income in Savannah, GA to any other city in the country. The calculator will tell you how much income you would need to make in a particular city to live at the same level based on the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the city you are looking to move to is higher than that of Savannah, GA, then you would need to earn a higher salary in order to enjoy the same standard of living. To use the Savannah, GA salary calculator, enter the name of the new city, then move the slider to your current salary level. The salary calculator will do the rest and let you know if your salary would need to increase or decrease for the new city. You will also see a complete overview of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$54,010	$4,501	$1,260	$1,620
Renters	$27,404	$2,284	$639	$822

A good way to judge both the affordability of the housing and the cost of living is by simply calculating the maximum that a person should spend on housing in Savannah, GA, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The safest way to live in the city is to avoid spending more than 28 percent of the gross income that one earns on costs that pertain to housing and no more than 36 percent on all expenses and debts. Savannah, GA has a median income of about $54,010 for people who own homes. Based on that number, a person should spend a maximum of $1,260 on expenses related to housing. Renters have a slightly different median income, which is $27,404. Based on this average, renters should spend no more than $639 on all of their rental costs if they want to maintain a non-impoverished standard of living.

Georgia Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Georgia	4%	8%

Georgia Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Georgia	1%	6%

One thing to keep in mind when considering the cost of living in Savannah, GA is the Georgia sales tax and Georgia income tax rates. Sales taxes are taxes that are collected on most goods or services sold. Sales taxes can vary by state and can be as high as 7% and as low as 0% as not every state imposes a sales tax. The Georgia sales tax rate is 4% and the maximum surtax that can be charged is 8%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by both the federal and state government. The income tax rates varies by individual state and will also be higher or lower depending on the applicable tax bracket. The rates of state income tax can vary from 0% to more than 9%. The Georgia income tax rates range from 1% to 6%.

Goods & Services

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$15.76	$16.09	2.0%
Beauty Salon	$33.04	$37.33	11.5%
Toothpaste	$2.14	$2.45	12.7%
Shampoo	$0.85	$1.00	15.4%
Movie	$10.32	$10.28	0.4%
Bowling	$5.42	$4.93	9.9%

Groceries

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.58	$3.80	5.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.33	$1.40	5.0%
Milk	$2.01	$2.01	0.1%
Potatoes	$3.12	$3.01	3.5%
Pizza	$8.42	$9.89	14.9%
Beer	$8.79	$8.90	1.2%

Health Care

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$82.91	$102.16	18.8%
Doctor	$108.10	$108.36	0.2%
Dentist	$90.53	$92.53	2.2%
Ibuprofen	$7.83	$9.28	15.6%
Lipitor	$440.80	$425.82	3.5%

Housing

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$145,100.00	$184,700.00	21.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$748.65	$1,202.44	37.7%
Apartment Rent	$913.00	$949.00	3.8%

Transportation

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.08	$2.24	7.4%
Tire Balancing	$49.20	$46.29	6.3%

Utilities

Item	Savannah	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$153.19	$165.96	7.7%
Phone	$37.43	$28.68	30.5%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Garden City, GA	8,889	88	-12%
Bloomingdale, GA	2,703	93	-7%
Rincon, GA	9,690	96	-4%
Montgomery, GA	4,222	97	-3%
Thunderbolt, GA	2,606	97	-3%
Savannah, GA	144,717	94	-6%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Metairie, LA	144,772	102	2%
Syracuse, NY	144,350	87	-13%
Frisco, TX	145,646	111	11%
Mesquite, TX	143,771	93	-7%
Naperville, IL	145,789	126	26%
Savannah, GA	144,717	94	-6%

Source: The Savannah, GA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Savannah, GA Cost of Living