Moving to Georgia

On cost, Georgia comes in below the national average.

• The MERIC first quarter 2026 series put the cost of living index at 90.6, the 12th least expensive state, with housing at 77.6.
• The Tax Foundation puts the effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing at 0.79 percent.
• Income tax is a flat 4.99 percent for 2026, after HB 463 cut it from 5.19 percent.
• The state sales tax is 4 percent, and the Tax Foundation puts the average combined state and local rate at 7.49 percent.

Your car is taxed once, at titling, not every year.

• Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) replaced sales tax and the annual vehicle tax for most vehicles, and a new resident pays it at 3 percent of fair market value instead of the standard 7.0 percent.
• Where you live decides the inspection.
• Cars registered in 13 metro Atlanta counties need an emissions test before registration and every year after.
• The state emissions program covers only those 13 counties.

Get a Georgia driver license within 30 days

Apply within 30 days of becoming a resident. Any DDS Customer Service Center can transfer an out-of-state license. Submit the online License/ID/Permit Form before you go. DDS keeps it on file for 60 days. At the center you surrender your old license and pass a vision exam. If the old license is valid, or expired for 2 years or less, you skip the written and road tests. If it expired more than 2 years ago, you take all three exams and bring a certified driving record from the state that issued it. For a REAL ID, bring two proofs of residency from separate sources. A P.O. Box does not count.

Register the car within 30 days, after the license

Vehicles must be registered within 30 days of the date you moved. You need a valid Georgia driver license or ID first. Title and register at the County Tag Office in your county. Bring a completed and signed Form MV-1 Title/Tag Application and your original out-of-state title. If a lender holds the title, complete Form T-17 instead. For proof of Georgia liability insurance, your insurance company can file it electronically with the Department of Revenue, or you can bring an insurance binder. Fees are $20 for the annual registration and $18 for the title, plus TAVT.

Pay the 3% new-resident TAVT once

Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) is a one-time tax paid when the vehicle is titled. It replaced sales tax and the annual ad valorem tax on vehicles. A new resident registering a vehicle here for the first time pays TAVT at 3% of fair market value. The standard rate is 7.0%. Pay it at the County Tag Office when you title the vehicle.

Metro Atlanta: pass an emissions test before you register

Residents of 13 metro Atlanta counties need an emissions inspection before registering. The counties are Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale. For 2026 registration, the test covers 2002 to 2023 model year gasoline cars and light-duty trucks of 8,500 pounds GVWR or less. Diesels, motorcycles, and the three most recent model years are exempt. After the first registration, the test is due every year before your registration date, which is your birthday. An inspection costs up to $25.

Liability minimums are 25/50/25

Georgia law requires at least $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person and $50,000 per incident. Property damage liability must be at least $25,000 per incident. Physical damage coverage, meaning collision and comprehensive, is optional under state law. If you financed or leased the vehicle, the lender or leasing company usually requires it.

Own the home on January 1 to claim the homestead exemption

The homestead exemption applies to a home you own and occupy as your legal residence on January 1 of the tax year. File with the county tax commissioner, or the tax assessor in some counties. The usual deadline is April 1, the deadline for property tax returns. You can now also apply up to the end of the 45-day window to appeal your assessment notice. The state exemption is $2,000 off the assessed value for county and school taxes. Some counties offer larger local exemptions, and several freeze the assessed value at a base year.