Living in Savannah, GA

Savannah's crime numbers hover right around the U.S. average. Violent crime index: 90. Property crime index: 97. The national baseline for both is 100, so you're looking at a city that's neither notably safe nor notably dangerous on paper. In practice, where you live within the city shifts the picture dramatically — a 10-minute drive can mean a completely different experience. Check local crime maps. Source: FBI UCR.

It depends on your income, but the city-wide numbers are starting to feel tight. Median rent is $1,382/month against $57,137/year in household income — a 29.0% rent-to-income ratio. That's right at the line where financial advisors start raising eyebrows. You can make it work, especially with a roommate or dual income, but single earners at the median may feel squeezed. Some neighborhoods are cheaper than others, so shop around. Census ACS 2023.

The average worker in Savannah spends about 18 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (69.7%), with 11.5% working remotely and 2.3% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

Mixed. The city-wide graduation rate is 78.0% and classrooms average 16 students per teacher. Some schools here are legitimately excellent — strong test scores, engaged communities, good resources. Others struggle. The gap between the best and worst is wider than you might expect. Do your homework on individual schools rather than relying on the city-wide number.

Higher than average, yes. The total effective tax rate lands around 13.6% when you add up income, property, and sales taxes. Sales tax is 7.0%. High-tax areas often come with better public schools, infrastructure, and services — but that's not guaranteed, and it's cold comfort on payday. If you're moving from a low-tax state like Texas or Florida, brace for a noticeable dip in take-home pay.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.