What it's like to live in Cairo
Cairo is a small city in Georgia with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cairo deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Cairo compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cairo
Based on Cairo's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,556
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $31,120 a year
- 50% of Cairo renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$21,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $10,880
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 45% below US
$778/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $778 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $108,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $108,800 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Grady County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Grady County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 52% below US
160 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1775/100k · Cairo Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 11% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.2 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. Nearly all workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 66% below US
12% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 Jimmy Carter National Historical Park (81 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Cairo'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 college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($778/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Cairo
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