State comparison
Georgia vs Nebraska: which state is better to live in?
Georgia costs a median household about $340 a year less in state and local taxes than Nebraska, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,754 a year against $3,816 in Nebraska.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 1 categories
Nebraska
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Nebraska
Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,722 a year. Nebraska has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.99%, which works out to 4.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,093 a year. Nebraska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 1.44% in Nebraska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $3,816, so Georgia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 6.94% in Nebraska; Nebraska is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,120 a year in Georgia, $8,461 in Nebraska. Georgia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Nebraska's is 91, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $265K in Nebraska (Zillow, 2024), a $75K gap in Nebraska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,150 in Nebraska.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $2,200 in Nebraska.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 311 in Nebraska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nebraska is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 60% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 1,956 in Nebraska, again favoring Nebraska.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 78.6 in Nebraska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.4-year edge for Nebraska. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Nebraska's 26th, so Nebraska scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Nebraska, which favors Nebraska. Nebraska expanded Medicaid and Georgia did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Nebraska's 18th, 14 places apart in Nebraska's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Georgia was a swing state decided by 2 points and Nebraska went to Trump by 19 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nebraska has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Georgia and legal with limits in Nebraska, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $12.00 in Nebraska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and high in Nebraska (tornado, blizzard, flood). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 33 in Nebraska (under 50 is good), favoring Nebraska.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
1
Georgia
11
Nebraska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Nebraska better to live in?
Nebraska wins more of the measures that decide a move. Georgia on taxes ($8,120 a year for a median household against $8,461); Nebraska on safety (311 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Nebraska on schools (ranked 18th against 32nd).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Nebraska?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 91. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $265K in Nebraska (2024). On state and local taxes Georgia saves a median household about $340 a year.
Does Georgia or Nebraska have lower taxes?
Georgia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,120 a year in Georgia ($3,722 income tax, $2,754 property tax on the median home and $1,644 in sales tax) and $8,461 in Nebraska ($3,093 income tax, $3,816 property tax on the median home and $1,553 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Georgia or Nebraska?
Nebraska, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 311 in Nebraska; property crime is 2,212 against 1,956.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Nebraska?
Nebraska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Nebraska 18th.
Is Georgia or Nebraska better for retirees?
Georgia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nebraska does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,754 a year in Georgia and $3,816 in Nebraska.