What it's like to live in Augusta
Augusta is a large city in Georgia with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Augusta deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hospital ratings below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
How Augusta compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Augusta
Based on Augusta's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,284
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,680 a year
- 52% of Augusta renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$35,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,840
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 19% below US
$1,142/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,142 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $178,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $178,400 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Richmond County is 4.7%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Richmond County (county-wide)
Safety
547 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Augusta doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 3652/100k · Policed by Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2024 data
Getting around▼ 19% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
6 hospitals
There are 6 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 31% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
48 public schools inside the boundary
There are 48 public schools inside the boundary and 12 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Ninety Six National Historic Site (54 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Augusta's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,142/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Augusta
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