What is the cost of living in Athens-Clarke County?

Athens-Clarke County has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.3, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 76.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,331/month.

What is the median salary in Athens-Clarke County?

The median salary in Athens-Clarke County is $61,371 annually (mean: $65,202). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Athens-Clarke County?

The violent crime rate in the Athens-Clarke County area is 300 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1567 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Athens-Clarke County?

The state of GA has 2,315 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 14.4:1. Charter schools make up 4.2% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Athens-Clarke County?

Infant center-based childcare in the Athens-Clarke County area averages $6,591 per year. Preschool averages $6,034/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Athens-Clarke County a good place to relocate?

Athens-Clarke County has a Life Score of 47.9/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Athens-Clarke County sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Athens-Clarke County ranks #210 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Athens-Clarke County, GA

LiveAbility 50.6/100 places Athens-Clarke County #210 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.3
Cost index (US=100): $1,331
2BR rent / mo: $61,371
Median salary: 50.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Athens-Clarke County ranks #210 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (50.6/100), with its strongest marks in climate and schools.

#210
of 387 US metros · Near median: 11,180,878
metro-area population: 300
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,315
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (27/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Athens-Clarke County ranks #210 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.3 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,331/mo, median salary $61,371; LiveAbility Score 50.6/100, strongest in climate and schools.

Signature: LiveAbility 50.6/100 places Athens-Clarke County #210 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.3 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,331/mo.

LiveAbility 50.6/100 keeps Athens-Clarke County in the middle third (#210 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Athens-Clarke County area is 82,710.

Athens-Clarke County vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

51 Top 55% higher than 45% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Athens-Clarke County housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Athens-Clarke County MSA; housing RPP 76.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,331/mo.

Studio

$1,159

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,183

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,331

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,734

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,831

/month

Athens-Clarke County wages and employment

Athens-Clarke County posts 82,710 total employment with median salary $61,371.

Median Salary

$61,371

Mean Salary

$65,202

Total Employment

82,710

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$24,220
Retail Salespersons	$29,240
Registered Nurses	$82,200
Cashiers	$28,130
Waiters and Waitresses	$21,090

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Athens-Clarke County area from NCES.

Schools

2,315

Enrollment

1,738,641

Student:Teacher

14.4:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Athens-Clarke County area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$6,591

per year

Toddler (Center)

$6,153

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,034

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Athens-Clarke County's composite Life Score is 47.9/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

52/100

Average

Wages

27/100

Weak

Rent

47/100

Average

Crime

56/100

Above average

Schools

32/100

Weak

Childcare

98/100

Elite

Environment

38/100

Below average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Athens-Clarke County ranks #210 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 50.6/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Climate (84/100)

Climate

84
Schools

68
Safety

56
Cost of living

52
Housing

47
Low hazard

47
Air quality

38
Job market

27

What this shows Athens-Clarke County's strongest dimensions are climate and schools; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 27/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Athens-Clarke County to

Boise City Boston-Cambridge-Newton Boulder Bowling Green Bozeman Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard

Metros near Athens-Clarke County on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Athens-Clarke County on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Athens-Clarke County cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Athens-Clarke County wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Athens-Clarke County?

Athens-Clarke County runs a $61,371 median salary at a 93.3 cost index, ranking #210 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Athens-Clarke County's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Athens-Clarke County head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Athens-Clarke County
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.