What does it cost to live in North Georgia compared with the rest of the country?

Robust Roofing Careers · Updated October 2026

If you are thinking about moving to North Georgia for Robust Roofing's Project Manager role, here is what federal and state data say about prices, housing and taxes, including where other states compare better. The role is full-time and based around Johns Creek. It pays a true 50/50 split with nothing taken off the top, not a 10/50/50, and Robust Roofing also pays a $75,000 per year base.

Is North Georgia cheaper than the national average?

Partly. Georgia as a whole and the Gainesville metro are below the national average, while metro Atlanta is about equal to it. The Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 Regional Price Parities put Georgia at 96.3 (U.S. = 100), about 3.7% below average, and the Gainesville, GA metro area, which is Hall County, at 96.8, about 3.2% below. A price parity compares the price level in one place with the national average in the same year: 100 is average, so 96.3 means prices about 3.7% lower. It shows where a dollar goes further, not how fast prices are rising.

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area, which includes Forsyth and Cherokee counties, came in at 100.1, almost exactly the national average. So metro Atlanta is not cheaper than the country as a whole; it is about the same.

How does metro Atlanta compare with New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco?

It is clearly less expensive. By BEA's 2024 price parities, overall prices in metro Atlanta (100.1) were about 11% lower than in New York-Newark-Jersey City (112.6), about 12% lower than in Los Angeles (113.6) and Miami (114.2), and about 13.5% lower than in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (115.6). If you are coming from one of those metros, overall prices in metro Atlanta run lower than what you are used to, even though Atlanta housing is above the national average.

What does housing cost in North Georgia?

More than the national average in metro Atlanta and less in much of the rest of the state. BEA's 2024 price parity for housing rents was 111.0 for the Atlanta metro, 93.5 for the Gainesville metro and 88.7 for Georgia as a whole (U.S. = 100).

Home values follow the same pattern. In the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, the median owner-occupied home value was $367,600 in metro Atlanta, $303,300 in Georgia and $332,700 nationally, and each county in the table below was above the national figure.

Median home value by county (ACS 2020 to 2024 5-year)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, Table B25077 via Census Reporter.

How much is Georgia's state income tax?

A flat 4.99% for tax year 2026. HB 463, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 11, 2026, cut the rate from 5.19% and applies it to all of 2026, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. The rate was 5.39% in 2024 and 5.19% in 2025.

Georgia's 2026 standard deduction is $15,000 for single filers and $30,000 for married couples filing jointly. HB 463 also schedules cuts of 0.125 percentage point a year starting January 1, 2027, until the rate reaches 3.99%, but each step can be delayed a year if state revenue conditions are not met, so there is no fixed date for 3.99%.

How does a $75,000 per year base compare with typical pay?

It is well above the typical wage. Robust Roofing's $75,000 per year base compares with a median annual wage of $50,980 for all occupations in the United States and $51,170 in the Atlanta metro, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The role also pays a true 50/50 split with no cap. For more, read is $75,000 a good salary in Atlanta.

Which parts of the service area have lower home values and prices?

Hall and Jackson counties. The Gainesville metro (Hall County) had a 2024 all-items price parity of 96.8 and a housing parity of 93.5, both below the national average (BEA). Five-year median home values were $350,400 in Hall and $345,000 in Jackson, below Forsyth, Fulton, Cherokee, Dawson and Gwinnett but still above the $332,700 U.S. median.

Gainesville and Flowery Branch in Hall County, and Jefferson, Hoschton and Braselton in Jackson County, are all in Robust Roofing's 39-city North Georgia service area. To see which suburbs sit close to the Johns Creek base, read moving to Atlanta for a sales job.

How do Georgia's prices, home values and income tax compare with other states?

Georgia lands in the middle. On BEA's 2024 price parities, Georgia's 96.3 for all items and 88.7 for housing are below Texas (97.1 and 96.5), Florida (103.4 and 122.1), Colorado (103.1 and 127.4), Illinois (100.0 and 93.9) and California (110.7 and 154.3), but above Oklahoma (87.8 and 62.8), Ohio (92.8 and 73.0) and North Carolina (94.3 and 81.4).

Home values sort differently. In the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey one-year estimates, which are separate from the five-year county figures above, Georgia's median home value was $343,300, below Florida ($396,900), Colorado ($574,600) and California ($759,500) but above Texas ($313,200), Oklahoma ($222,100), Illinois ($280,700), Ohio ($239,800) and North Carolina ($333,000). The U.S. one-year median was $360,600.

On income tax, Texas and Florida have none, so Georgia compares worse on wage income (Tax Foundation). For a single filer with $75,000 of wages and only the standard deduction or exemption, Robust Roofing's estimate from the Tax Foundation's 2026 tables and Georgia Department of Revenue 2026 rules puts the 2026 state tax at about $2,994 in Georgia, $1,287 in Ohio (and any city income tax), $2,484 in North Carolina, $2,592 in Colorado, $2,788 in California (and a separate 1.3% disability payroll tax), $2,830 in Oklahoma and $3,568 in Illinois. Colorado and California figures are approximate. At that income only Illinois takes more than Georgia, and California does once its payroll tax is counted.

State by state: moving from Texas, Florida, Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois or California.

How do you apply before you move?

Start with the online application at chooserobust.com/careers. A short questionnaire comes next, and then you choose a time for your first interview, which is a short phone call. None of those steps needs you in Georgia, and timing is covered in that interview. Questions before you apply? Call or text (470) 887-6637.

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