State comparison
Georgia vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $4,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because it has no income tax.
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 7 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 9.55% in Tennessee; Georgia 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Georgia is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Georgia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Georgia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 34% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Georgia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for Georgia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Georgia scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Tennessee. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 9 places apart in Georgia'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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Georgia and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good).
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
7
Georgia
8
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Tennessee better to live in?
Georgia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $8,120); Georgia on everyday costs (index 91 against 92); Georgia on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Georgia on schools (ranked 32nd against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Tennessee?
Georgia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 92. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $4,400 a year.
Does Georgia or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Georgia or Tennessee?
Georgia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,212 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Tennessee?
Georgia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Georgia or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,754 a year in Georgia and $1,575 in Tennessee.