Many people have decided to make the move here to Georgia because we have a very low cost of living compared to a majority of other states throughout the country. Now that many people can work remotely, they are choosing to leave states like California, Florida, and Texas to take advantage of the cheaper home prices, tax rates, and general cost of living. 

Buford, which majority of it is located in Gwinnett county, sits right on the edge of the suburbs before you start to get into towns that feel like they are a part of the busyness of Atlanta There is a tiny portion of the town that is in Hall county, but most of it lies in Gwinnett, which is a massive county. It’s actually the second most populous county in Georgia, and Buford itself has about 17,000 residents. The town also sits on the southern end of Lake Lanier, and is a straight shot down to Atlanta, making it a super popular town for those that need to commute to the city. Because of its incredible location with its close proximity to Atlanta and the fact that it sits on the lake, it is definitely on the more expensive side for this area. 

Let’s take a look at bestplace.org, which is a website that breaks down the cost of living in towns all across the US. They use a sale of 100 to describe the overall cost of living in an area compared to the national average. The state of Georgia as a whole has a score of 93.4, which is below that national average of 100. However, Buford has a rating of 101.1 which is obviously over the national average. I made this same video about the cost of living in Gainesville, and they had a rating of 89.6 which is well below the state and national average, and Buford’s average. Now, why does Buford have such a higher cost of living compared to Gainesville if they are so close to each other? A majority of it lies in the location, which is why the home prices in Buford are so high. It also has to do with the fact that Buford is a bigger “city” and would be considered more of an extension of Atlanta than Gainesville is.

So let’s talk about home prices. The cost of housing received a rating of 112.1 as compared to the state average of 80.7. They list the average home price in Buford as $259,200 and I certainly believe that is low. According to Redfin, in June of 2021, Buford home prices were up 33.7% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $415K. That is almost $100 thousand more dollars than the median home price of $320 thousand dollars in Gainesville right now. Clearly home prices are pretty steep in Buford, but there is so much that goes into those high prices. Aside from the location we talked about earlier, Buford City Schools are another massive reason you see such inflated home prices here. Buford City Schools have been the number one school system in the state for years now, so obviously people want their kids to go to school here, which means people can charge more for their homes since people so desperately want their kids to go there. I made a video all about Buford so if you want to hear more about that kind of information about the town, I would recommend checking that out. Another reason homes are so expensive is because there are so few of them available because of the crazy demand. 

The cost of housing is the main contributor to the higher cost of living in Buford compared to other towns in and around Hall county. Property taxes are also higher in Buford as well, since home values are higher, but I also just made an entire video talking about all the fun details of property taxes, so you’ll want to check that out for more info. Generally though, if you move from a state like Illinois or New Jersey, you will think the property taxes here are a swinging deal since the average rate is only 0.8%, compared to Illinois’ 2.27% and Jersey’s 2.49% percent.

Something else you will want to think about if choosing to move to Buford, or really anywhere in Georgia, is HOA fees. Most homes in Georgia are located inside neighborhoods, a majority of which have homeowners associations. These homeowners associations, or HOA’s, charge homeowners anywhere from $100 a month up to several thousand dollars a year- depending on the amenities they provide. This fee is used to maintain the neighborhood pool, tennis courts, keep up the landscaping in the common areas, et cetera. This is an extra fee you will want to factor in when you’re deciding if the cost of living here is an improvement to where you currently live.

The average cost of groceries is below the national average in Buford. We have tons of great grocery stores like Publix, Kroger, Walmart, Costco, and a new Sprouts as well which is super exciting. They have a Target and just about any other shopping you can think of, with the state’s largest mall, The Mall Of Georgia, taking up residence here. Utilities are below the national average in Buford as well. Despite needing to run your AC practically all year long here in Georgia, utilities are very reasonable. 

Let’s talk about gas and transportation. Georgia is one of those states where you pretty much have to have a car. Public transportation is not something we really have here, however, that isn’t all that much different from most other states in the US. Sure, a few cities in the states have busses or the subway, but it really isn’t all that common, so you probably won’t be missing out on that. Something you’re also not going to be able to do is catch an Uber or Lyft anywhere… if you are in Atlanta, you can of course do that but up here in the metro areas- don’t hold your breath. Right now, at the time of filming this video, the average cost of gas in Buford is $2.96. The current average in the US is $3.18. Georgia has a tax rate at $0.28 per gallon, which compared to states like Pennsylvania at $0.59 per gallon, and California at $0.62 per gallon- is very low.

Compared to other parts of Hall county and its surrounding areas, Buford may seem like it’s a much more expensive place to live. While the housing prices here are higher, when you look at median home values in other states, you realize that Buford is not all that expensive. Especially when you factor in what kind of home you will be buying for that price. You can find a beautiful newer home for that median sales price of $415,000 in a really great neighborhood. If you only have $415,000 in other parts of the country like California, Oregon, or New York, you might find it virtually impossible to find a house in this price point in certain parts of these states, so it’s all relative. 

If you compare the cost of living in Buford to Gainesville or Oakwood, it does come with a heavier price tag. However, if you were to live in Atlanta instead of choosing to live somewhere like Buford and commute, you are going to pay much, much more to live in the city. Even with what we as locals would consider the higher costs of being in Buford, if you are coming in from California, you are going to love how much farther your money will get you.

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