Athens vs Auburn
The short version
- Auburn is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Athens area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,200 in Athens and $364,800 in Auburn.
- Households earn more in Auburn ($63,668 vs $52,974 median).
- Auburn is growing faster: +11.1% since 2020 vs +1%.
Side by side
| Athens, GA | Auburn, AL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 128,612 | 85,113 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | +11.1% |
| People per square mile | 1,105 | 1,352 |
| Median age | 29.4 | 25.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 64% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,974 | $63,668 |
| Median home value | $299,200 | $364,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,219 | $1,098 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.3 | 87.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.8 | 62.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,000 | $65,900 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | 5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 9.46% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 19.9 |
| Work from home | 14% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 3.2% |
| Poverty rate | 26.5% | 25.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 34° | 56° / 35° |
| July high / low | 92° / 70° | 89° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 57 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 49 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 44 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 67.0 | 79.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +1.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.8% | +45.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Athens: March to May and September to October. Auburn: May and September to November.
Full monthly tables: Athens weather by month and Auburn weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,000 in Athens and $65,900 in Auburn. Moving from Athens to Auburn, you would need about $70,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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