| Index | Wilmington Island | Georgia | National |
| Cost of living | 114 | 96 | 100 |
| Groceries | 98 | 99 | 100 |
| Health care | 102 | 99 | 100 |
| Housing | 144 | 88 | 100 |
| Transportation | 99 | 99 | 100 |
| Utilities | 103 | 102 | 100 |
| Lifestyle & Entertainment | 102 | 100 | 100 |
| Household Items | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Education & Childcare | 106 | 99 | 100 |

Are you thinking about relocating, but curious about the potential cost of living in Wilmington Island? Is it more expensive or more affordable than average? Based on the most recent report, the cost of living in Wilmington Island stands at 114, making it 14% higher than the national average. The cost of living directly affects the affordability of one's desired lifestyle. Knowing the cost of housing, transportation, groceries and other essentials in the new area allows people to gauge whether they can maintain their preferred standard of living.
Housing costs are a major factor in the Wilmington Island cost of living index, and they often eat up a big chunk of your take-home pay. Unfortunately, in this area, housing expenses for both homeownership and rentals were 44.3% higher than what's typical in an average city. That includes the prices of homes and rents, as well as mortgage rates and insurance.
Is Wilmington Island affordable? It's a key consideration when pondering a move, as affordability often shapes your choices. The cost of living index (we discussed it earlier), coupled with housing costs and income levels, serves as the cornerstone for determining a location's affordability. Take Wilmington Island, for instance, where the median home price falls 46.4% higher than the national average, and monthly rent rates are 39.5% higher than usual. Additionally, median income levels contribute to the equation, with Wilmington Island flaunting a median household income of $123,551, 51.9% higher than the national norm.
Housing: When everyone's vying for homes in popular areas, it drives up property prices and rents, making the overall cost of living surge. On the flip side, in less sought-after locales, where housing demand is low, prices tend to dip, resulting in a more economical cost of living. In Wilmington Island, the housing index comes in at 44.3% higher than the national average.
Groceries: Grocery costs have continued to increase significantly over the last 2-3 years. In some markets the cost of food has gone up by more than 20% in that period. While other markets have managed to see only a moderate uptick. These food costs can have a major impact on the cost of living in any area. In Wilmington Island, the groceries index is 2.5% lower than the national average.
Utilities: As with the prices of anything else, utility costs can exhibit significant variations, contingent on factors like climate, energy source availability, geographic location and state regulations. The expenses associated with electricity, water, heating, and waste disposal can fluctuate, either upward or downward, depending on the particular city or state. In Wilmington Island, the utilities index registers 2.5% higher than the national average.
The Wilmington Island cost of living estimates above use a normalized U.S. average of 100 as the baseline for comparison. Housing values incorporate local home price and rental information from the U.S. Census, while all other estimates are AI-assisted and modeled using expected everyday expenses, local market trends, climate, and transportation-related cost pressures. The results are intended for practical city-to-city comparisons.
| Cost of living index | |
| Groceries index | |
| Health care index | |
| Housing index | |
| Transportation index | |
| Utilities index | |
| Lifestyle index | |
| Household index | |
| Educare index |
| Median Income | Per Year | Per Month | Max Budget (28% DTI) | Max Budget (36% DTI) |
| Owners | $129,734 | $10,811 | $3,027 | $3,892 |
| Renters | $79,985 | $6,665 | $1,866 | $2,400 |
| State | General Sales Tax | With Max Surtax |
| Georgia | 4% | 8% |
| State | Income Tax (Low) | Income Tax (High) |
| Georgia | 1% | 5.57% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| Garden City, GA | 9,315 | 94 | 6.3% |
| Savannah, GA | 148,994 | 99 | 1.2% |
| Georgetown, GA | 12,996 | 102 | 1.6% |
| Port Wentworth, GA | 9,153 | 104 | 4.3% |
| Thunderbolt, GA | 2,723 | 109 | 8.6% |
| Wilmington Island, GA | 16,119 | 114 | 13.7% |
| City | Population | Cost of Living Index | National Avg. |
| La Grange, IL | 16,121 | 142 | 42.0% |
| Traverse City, MI | 16,116 | 110 | 10.0% |
| Isla Vista, CA | 16,124 | 132 | 31.8% |
| Azalea Park, FL | 16,106 | 104 | 3.8% |
| Morton, IL | 16,134 | 102 | 1.6% |
| Wilmington Island, GA | 16,119 | 114 | 13.7% |