State comparison
Georgia vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $850 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 97 against 91).
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $5,440, so Georgia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia and 8.19% in Texas; 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, $7,272 in Texas. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Georgia is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024). A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $3,200 in Texas, so Georgia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Texas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 12% lower. Property crime is 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Georgia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for Texas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Texas scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Georgia. Neither state has expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Texas's 36th, 4 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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Georgia has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Georgia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 43 in Texas (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
6
Georgia
5
Texas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia or Texas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $8,120); Georgia on everyday costs (index 91 against 97); Texas on safety (447 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Georgia on schools (ranked 32nd against 36th).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Texas?
Georgia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 97. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $850 a year.
Does Georgia or Texas have lower taxes?
Texas. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Georgia or Texas?
Texas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 447 in Texas; property crime is 2,212 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Texas?
Georgia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th.
Is Georgia or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Georgia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas 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 $5,440 in Texas.