The moving process isn’t probably among the things that excite people. But it may be necessary.
Perhaps you’re tired of city life or want a change of scenery while still calling the Peach State home. Either way, one thing that’s probably high on your list is cost.
Earlier this month, 24/7 Wall St. published a special report on the least expensive ZIP codes around the nation. Noting that the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the economy, the website said real estate was not part of that decline.
“The median home sale price in the United States was $265,000 in 2020 — $30,000 more than it was the previous year. Buying a house for a quarter of a million dollars, however, is not affordable for many Americans,” it said. “Still, for those on a tight budget, there are many parts of the country where most homes are selling for far less.
The financial news and opinion operation pinpointed the least expensive ZIP codes using average home sale prices from real estate and property data company ATTOM Data Solutions. ZIP codes were ranked based on the average sales price of condominiums and single-family homes last year. The website only considered ZIP codes with a minimum of 1,000 single-family homes and condos. Further, at least 500 of housing units had to have been sold in 2020.
“Despite the low incomes in many of the postal codes on this list, housing is still relatively affordable. In each of the 50 ZIP codes on this list, the ratio of home sale prices to incomes is more favorable than the comparable national ratio,” 24/7 Wall St. said.
Two Georgia cities were included in the ranking: Augusta and Macon.
At No. 25, the 30906 ZIP code in Augusta had an average home sales price of $75,331 in 2020. In total, 824 homes were bought and sold in the Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia-South Carolina metro area. The average household income is $37,536 and the postal code has a poverty rate of 28.4%. In the area, 11.5% of households make $10,000 a year, if not less.
Macon came in at No. 24 on the list. The 31204 ZIP code had homes that typically sold for $75,000 in 2020. Households in this area typically earn less than $34,500 annually, making 31204 one of the nation’s lowest-earning ZIP codes. Here, 30.3% of the population lives under the poverty line.
As for how Macon’s and Augusta’s income compares across the country, 13.4% of the population lives below the poverty line, and 6% of households make less than $10,000 each year. The typical household takes home $62,843 annually.
