What is the cost of living in Macon-Bibb County?

Macon-Bibb County has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 58.9, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,307/month.

What is the median salary in Macon-Bibb County?

The median salary in Macon-Bibb County is $59,229 annually (mean: $63,790). Top occupations include Registered Nurses, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

How safe is Macon-Bibb County?

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

What are the schools like in Macon-Bibb 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 Macon-Bibb County?

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

Is Macon-Bibb County a good place to relocate?

Macon-Bibb County has a Life Score of 52.4/100 (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 Macon-Bibb County sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Macon-Bibb County ranks #177 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

Macon-Bibb County, GA

BEA RPP 88.5 ranks #66 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

88.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,307
2BR rent / mo: $59,229
Median salary: 52.4
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Macon-Bibb County ranks #177 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52.4/100), with its strongest marks in climate and cost of living.

#177
of 387 US metros · Above 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 (17/100). 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), Macon-Bibb County ranks #177 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 88.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,307/mo, median salary $59,229; LiveAbility Score 52.4/100, strongest in climate and cost of living.

Signature: BEA RPP 88.5 ranks #66 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 88.5 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,307/mo.

LiveAbility 52.4/100 keeps Macon-Bibb County in the middle third (#177 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Macon-Bibb County area is 88,060.

Macon-Bibb 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)

52 Top 46% higher than 54% 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

Macon-Bibb County housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Macon-Bibb County MSA; housing RPP 58.9 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,307/mo.

Studio

$1,085

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,158

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,307

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,567

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,731

/month

Macon-Bibb County wages and employment

Macon-Bibb County posts 88,060 total employment with median salary $59,229 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$59,229

Mean Salary

$63,790

Total Employment

88,060

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Registered Nurses	$85,070
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$37,140
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$25,000
Retail Salespersons	$28,820
Cashiers	$27,820

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Macon-Bibb 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 Macon-Bibb 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

Macon-Bibb County's composite Life Score is 52.4/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

83/100

Elite

Wages

17/100

Bottom decile

Rent

49/100

Average

Crime

54/100

Average

Schools

34/100

Weak

Childcare

95/100

Elite

Environment

40/100

Below average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Macon-Bibb County ranks #177 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52.4/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Climate (85/100)

Climate

85
Cost of living

83
Schools

66
Safety

54
Housing

50
Low hazard

45
Air quality

18
Job market

17

What this shows Macon-Bibb County's strongest dimensions are climate and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 17/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Macon-Bibb County to

Ithaca Jackson Jackson Jackson Jacksonville Jacksonville

Metros near Macon-Bibb County on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Macon-Bibb 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

Macon-Bibb County cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Macon-Bibb 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 Macon-Bibb County?

Macon-Bibb County runs a $59,229 median salary at a 88.5 cost index, ranking #177 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Macon-Bibb County's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Macon-Bibb County head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Macon-Bibb 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.