Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.
Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Georgia with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Georgia that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Georgia at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Hiram.
3.1% population growth · 0.2% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
6.6% population growth · -0.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.2% population growth · 1.1% home price growth
Data | Movers
4.4% population growth · -1.9% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2.0% population growth · 0.2% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.7% population growth · 0.8% home price growth
The town of Blakely is the county seat of Early County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,068.
Blakely was platted in 1825 as the county seat for Early County. It was named for Johnston Blakeley, an officer in the War of 1812.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.4% population growth · -0.3% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.4% population growth · 0.5% home price growth
Data | Movers
-0.7% population growth · 2.4% home price growth
Camilla is a city in Mitchell County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,360.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.7% population growth · 10.5% home price growth
Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,962 at the 2010 census. Named after one of the founders who contributed a site and paid for the county courthouse, the city was established in 1871, and is the county seat of Dodge County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Georgia’s statewide median.
Georgia statewide median: $332,063
On the map
Where Georgia’s best buys are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Georgia for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for over a decade. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Georgia. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Georgia with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Georgia, with these caveats: home prices had to be within 20% of the state average, home prices increased in the last year, and the city had above 5,000 people.
So of the 620 cities and towns in Georgia, only 134 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 134 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Hiram is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Peach State.
The full plate
Best Places To Buy A Home In Georgia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiram | 5,231 | $312,225 | 3.1% | 0.2% |
| 2 | Oakwood | 5,862 | $322,538 | 6.6% | -0.1% |
| 3 | Rockmart | 5,204 | $254,776 | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 4 | Senoia | 5,589 | $507,728 | 4.4% | -1.9% |
| 5 | Social Circle | 5,217 | $361,857 | 2.0% | 0.2% |
| 6 | Blakely | 5,238 | $129,945 | -0.7% | 0.8% |
| 7 | Temple | 5,901 | $284,500 | 4.4% | -0.3% |
| 8 | Glennville | 5,179 | $203,965 | -0.4% | 0.5% |
| 9 | Camilla | 5,124 | $155,383 | -0.7% | 2.4% |
| 10 | Eastman | 5,584 | $154,913 | -0.7% | 10.5% |
| 11 | Jackson | 5,741 | $283,113 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 12 | Byron | 5,971 | $263,141 | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| 13 | Adel | 5,641 | $170,822 | 0.4% | 5.3% |
| 14 | Jonesboro | 6,143 | $241,617 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 15 | Waynesboro | 5,644 | $188,665 | -1.0% | 4.9% |
| 16 | Sandersville | 5,601 | $152,997 | -1.3% | 11.9% |
| 17 | Sylvester | 5,489 | $172,687 | -1.2% | 3.6% |
| 18 | Dacula | 7,444 | $448,400 | 4.3% | -0.8% |
| 19 | Stone Mountain | 6,623 | $268,439 | -0.2% | -1.8% |
| 20 | Lovejoy | 11,508 | $279,096 | 4.9% | -1.2% |
| 21 | Cumming | 8,469 | $603,209 | 7.6% | 0.1% |
| 22 | Thomson | 6,821 | $202,124 | -0.0% | 0.7% |
| 23 | Hapeville | 6,630 | $265,299 | 0.6% | -0.8% |
| 24 | Eatonton | 6,515 | $399,155 | 1.3% | -0.5% |
| 25 | Barnesville | 6,121 | $258,106 | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| 26 | Dahlonega | 7,299 | $382,573 | 1.5% | 0.8% |
| 27 | Commerce | 8,013 | $334,904 | 4.3% | 1.1% |
| 28 | Bremen | 7,488 | $290,337 | 1.7% | -0.2% |
| 29 | Morrow | 6,364 | $216,943 | -2.4% | -3.3% |
| 30 | LaFayette | 6,967 | $158,532 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 31 | Swainsboro | 7,571 | $129,027 | 0.1% | 4.4% |
| 32 | Tyrone | 7,896 | $526,789 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 33 | Auburn | 8,711 | $365,247 | 5.9% | -0.4% |
| 34 | Locust Grove | 10,532 | $324,432 | 6.1% | -0.8% |
| 35 | Austell | 8,447 | $292,181 | 1.1% | -0.7% |
| 36 | Centerville | 8,505 | $227,613 | 2.2% | 2.4% |
| 37 | Hampton | 8,687 | $307,291 | 2.3% | -1.7% |
| 38 | Flowery Branch | 10,925 | $425,109 | 6.2% | -0.5% |
| 39 | Toccoa | 9,238 | $233,281 | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| 40 | Fitzgerald | 8,918 | $128,232 | -0.5% | 2.7% |
| 41 | Thomaston | 9,831 | $178,186 | 0.3% | -2.1% |
| 42 | Fort Valley | 8,858 | $158,985 | 0.6% | 3.7% |
| 43 | Port Wentworth | 12,892 | $290,499 | 7.5% | -2.1% |
| 44 | Garden City | 10,426 | $272,348 | 0.5% | 2.1% |
| 45 | Cairo | 10,055 | $178,784 | -0.1% | 13.8% |
| 46 | Jesup | 9,942 | $202,641 | 0.8% | 3.6% |
| 47 | Fort Oglethorpe | 10,416 | $245,691 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| 48 | Cedartown | 10,227 | $205,346 | 0.2% | 3.2% |
| 49 | Doraville | 11,134 | $366,889 | 3.7% | 0.2% |
| 50 | Vidalia | 10,752 | $184,385 | -0.1% | 0.3% |
| 51 | Cusseta-Chattahoochee County unified government | 8,887 | $112,440 | -3.2% | -7.4% |
| 52 | Cordele | 9,994 | $134,690 | -1.1% | 0.9% |
| 53 | Douglas | 11,749 | $185,359 | 0.2% | 3.3% |
| 54 | Jefferson | 14,990 | $416,353 | 5.2% | 0.4% |
| 55 | Braselton | 15,178 | $447,114 | 7.3% | 0.6% |
| 56 | Bainbridge | 14,404 | $172,159 | 0.4% | 2.4% |
| 57 | Loganville | 15,527 | $392,226 | 4.4% | -1.0% |
| 58 | Clarkston | 14,557 | $267,836 | -0.0% | -1.7% |
| 59 | Lilburn | 15,390 | $397,448 | 3.0% | 0.1% |
| 60 | Richmond Hill | 18,181 | $420,904 | 4.4% | -0.6% |
| 61 | Monroe | 15,648 | $371,278 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 62 | Waycross | 13,756 | $146,386 | -0.4% | -2.1% |
| 63 | Dallas | 14,714 | $354,268 | 1.9% | 0.0% |
| 64 | Holly Springs | 18,627 | $433,920 | 5.3% | 0.4% |
| 65 | Moultrie | 14,588 | $170,768 | 0.3% | 3.0% |
| 66 | Covington | 14,584 | $292,187 | 1.7% | -0.1% |
| 67 | College Park | 14,712 | $277,094 | 5.3% | -1.0% |
| 68 | Grovetown | 17,014 | $304,550 | 3.0% | 1.6% |
| 69 | Americus | 15,813 | $128,313 | -0.6% | 3.1% |
| 70 | Powder Springs | 18,009 | $363,229 | 3.4% | -0.2% |
| 71 | Riverdale | 14,792 | $214,168 | -0.5% | -2.2% |
| 72 | Conyers | 18,512 | $297,597 | 3.3% | -0.5% |
| 73 | Dublin | 16,136 | $192,482 | 0.7% | 2.3% |
| 74 | Villa Rica | 18,551 | $311,754 | 4.2% | -0.2% |
| 75 | Fairburn | 16,831 | $321,971 | 1.3% | -0.5% |
| 76 | Buford | 17,997 | $469,651 | 2.2% | -0.7% |
| 77 | Brunswick | 15,307 | $254,063 | 0.4% | 3.0% |
| 78 | Norcross | 18,007 | $327,599 | 1.9% | 0.1% |
| 79 | Winder | 19,437 | $338,264 | 3.1% | -0.7% |
| 80 | Calhoun | 18,183 | $273,432 | 3.2% | 0.2% |
| 81 | Tifton | 17,210 | $210,038 | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| 82 | Perry | 23,001 | $273,009 | 3.4% | 1.3% |
| 83 | Kingsland | 19,627 | $297,403 | 2.8% | 0.5% |
| 84 | Fayetteville | 19,719 | $455,206 | 1.8% | -0.3% |
| 85 | St. Marys | 19,166 | $309,204 | 1.9% | -1.0% |
| 86 | Milledgeville | 16,748 | $244,327 | -0.7% | 1.1% |
| 87 | Thomasville | 18,666 | $232,158 | -0.3% | 5.3% |
| 88 | Forest Park | 19,504 | $165,626 | -0.6% | -2.0% |
| 89 | Snellville | 21,620 | $355,608 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 90 | Suwanee | 22,349 | $607,322 | 2.5% | 0.1% |
| 91 | Cartersville | 24,074 | $323,100 | 1.9% | 0.5% |
| 92 | Union City | 27,728 | $231,233 | 1.6% | -4.0% |
| 93 | Acworth | 22,473 | $409,265 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 94 | Griffin | 23,761 | $240,028 | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| 95 | Sugar Hill | 26,128 | $461,262 | 3.3% | -1.3% |
| 96 | Pooler | 28,466 | $351,155 | 4.5% | -1.7% |
| 97 | Decatur | 24,518 | $279,470 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 98 | McDonough | 30,947 | $334,349 | 3.0% | -1.2% |
| 99 | Carrollton | 27,392 | $285,669 | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| 100 | Stockbridge | 35,737 | $289,839 | 0.7% | -1.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 134 Georgia cities cleared the filters.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Georgia for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Georgia. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 620 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Georgia are Hiram, Oakwood, Rockmart, Senoia, Social Circle, Blakely, Temple, Glennville, Camilla, and Eastman.
So if we could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
