State comparison
Georgia vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $2,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 5.0% in Georgia.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 2 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Ohio
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. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $3,220, so Georgia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 7.22% in Ohio; Ohio 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $105K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 65% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Ohio.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Ohio. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, which favors Ohio. Ohio 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 Ohio's 28th, 4 places apart in Ohio'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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Georgia and protected by state law in Ohio, and marijuana is medical only in Georgia and legal for adults in Ohio as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Ohio is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Georgia.
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
2
Georgia
12
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $8,120); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 91); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 32nd).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 91. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $2,000 a year.
Does Georgia or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Georgia or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 2,212 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Ohio?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th.
Is Georgia or Ohio better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Ohio does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,754 a year in Georgia and $3,220 in Ohio.