Athens vs Sandy Springs
The short version
- Athens is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Sandy Springs area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,200 in Athens and $619,800 in Sandy Springs.
- Households earn more in Sandy Springs ($104,340 vs $52,974 median).
- Athens is growing faster: +1% since 2020 vs -2.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Athens (21 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Athens, GA | Sandy Springs, GA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 128,612 | 105,013 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | -2.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,105 | 2,785 |
| Median age | 29.4 | 36.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 69% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,974 | $104,340 |
| Median home value | $299,200 | $619,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,219 | $1,870 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.3 | 100.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.8 | 111.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,000 | $75,000 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | 5.19% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 7.56% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 25.8 |
| Work from home | 14% | 32% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 4% |
| Poverty rate | 26.5% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 34° | 52° / 33° |
| July high / low | 92° / 70° | 89° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 51 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 53 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 49 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 67.0 | 95.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 41% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.8% | +42.7% |
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. Sandy Springs: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Athens weather by month and Sandy Springs 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 $75,000 in Sandy Springs. Moving from Athens to Sandy Springs, you would need about $80,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Athens and Sandy Springs
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Athens and Sandy Springs.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.