What it's like to live in Smyrna
Smyrna is a smaller city in Georgia with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, 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. Smyrna deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Above-average rainfall
How Smyrna compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Smyrna
Based on Smyrna's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,478
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $69,560 a year
- 50% of Smyrna renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$89,900
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $44,950
- Homes cost 4.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 23% above US
$1,739/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,739 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $449,500. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $449,500 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 26% below US
3.2% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 27% below US
240 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 1008/100k · Smyrna Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 30% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 34°F. It's a wet climate overall.
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▲ 65% above US
59% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. 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 Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (8 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Smyrna's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,739/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (30% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Smyrna
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