Measured against area pay, Lakeview costs less to live in than 88% of U.S. towns
It ranks #12 of 263 in Georgia for affordability. Home prices around Lakeview have risen about 77% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area ($72K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Chattanooga metro earn ($72K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.4 years of metro income, and 10% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,270a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 91prices across the Chattanooga metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 77)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$72K, Chattanooga-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 10%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Georgia: 52%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Lakeview
Rent is easier on renters here
10% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 52% across Georgia. A standard two-bedroom is 25% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Prices rose faster than Georgia’s over five years
There’s no Zillow index for Lakeview, so the page uses the federal house price index for the ZIP code around it, which follows repeat sales of the same homes. It rose 77% over five years, against 58% across Georgia. Price trend ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Lakeview home runs about $1,220 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270. Can I afford it? ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Lakeview’s homes were built before 1966, against 1992 for Georgia as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Lakeview, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Lakeview’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lakeview is more affordable than 88% of U.S. towns, #12 of 263 in Georgia. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 77% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Lakeview rose 77% over the past 5 years, faster than across Georgia (58%). Last year prices rose 2.8%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Lakeview home at roughly $214,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $214K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Lakeview, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 2.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lakeview’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Lakeview home, with $81K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270 a month here, $50 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lakeview’s typical property tax (0.54% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270
Renters already here pay a median of $1,014, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the Georgia norm
The median bill is $928 (Georgia: $2,341), 0.54% of a home’s value a year, against 0.77% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Lakeview
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area, or Georgia. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 91 | GA 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | GA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 74 | GA 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 95 | GA 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Lakeview vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Lakeview.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview | A | — | $172K | 0.54% | $1,270 |
| Fort Oglethorpe | B+ | $243K | $200K | 0.77% | $1,240 |
| East Ridge | B− | $253K | $211K | 0.74% | $1,390 |
| Rossville | A− | $215K | $133K | 0.64% | $1,270 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lakeview
Is Lakeview expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lakeview costs less than 88% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #12 of 263 in Georgia. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area ($72K).
How much is rent in Lakeview?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,270 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,014 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lakeview?
The median bill is $928 a year, 0.54% of the median home value (Georgia: $2,341, 0.77%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Lakeview buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.