Moving from Georgia to Florida
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Georgia and Florida, side by side.
Moving to Florida costs about
About the same
Georgia and Florida work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Georgia to Florida, state income tax moves the most: about $294 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Georgia vs Florida at a glance
| Georgia | Florida | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $303,300 | $359,000 |
| Median rent | $1,393/mo | $1,669/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 5.19% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | 0.76% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 99 | 98 |
| Utilities | 93 | 90 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | GA | FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,393 | $1,669 | +$276 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $294 | $0 | -$294 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $59 | $90 | +$31 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,814 | $1,798 | -$16 |
| Utilities | $379 | $368 | -$11 |
| Total | -$10 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,500 to $3,600
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $350 to $600, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Atlanta is not Georgia-average and Miami is not Florida-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.