Florida and Georgia at a glance
Moving between Florida and Georgia changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Florida leaves $22,998 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Georgia leaves $24,354.
Georgia comes out ahead by $1,356 a year ($113 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 22,416,077 people in 67 counties in Florida and 10,940,407 people in 159 counties in Georgia.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. Florida does not tax wages, while Georgia takes $2,491 of a $60,000 salary in state income tax, so take-home pay is $2,491 higher in Florida.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $78,901 in Florida and $74,334 in Georgia, a difference of $4,567. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $1,665 a month in Florida and $1,374 in Georgia, so Georgia is $291 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $2,498 and $2,207, and gasoline $1,427 and $1,366. Together the basics cost $27,341 a year in Florida and $23,493 in Georgia.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $74,568 in Florida and $77,353 in Georgia. Homeowners pay a median of $2,730 a year in property tax in Florida and $2,341 in Georgia. Commuters travel 28.0 minutes each way on average in Florida and 28.3 in Georgia.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.