Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Sylvester costs less to live in than 62% of U.S. towns
It ranks #64 of 263 in Georgia for affordability. Up 10.2% in a year, 48% below the Georgia typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Albany, GA metro area ($57K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
In dollars, Sylvester is one of the least expensive places in Georgia. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Albany-area incomes are lower too ($57K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.15% of a home’s value a year (Georgia: 0.77%), and 45% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $171Ktypical home, 48% below the Georgia typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Albany metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 55)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$57K, Albany-area income
- 19%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 45%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Georgia: 52%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Sylvester’s housing numbers say
Still rising while Georgia slips
Over the past year the typical Sylvester home gained 10%, while the Georgia typical home lost 0.5%. Price trend ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,337, under the Georgia median of $2,341, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.15% a year, against 0.77% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $160 a month. Property taxes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Sylvester lost 544 residents while 82 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Most new homes are apartments and condos
Of the 128 homes permitted in Sylvester’s past 10 years, 63% were in buildings with two or more homes, not single-family houses. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Sylvester’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sylvester is more affordable than 62% of U.S. towns, #64 of 263 in Georgia. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Georgia: the typical Sylvester home is up 28.0% in five years, against 20.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.2% in a year
Faster than Georgia (-0.5%).
Show as a table
| January | Sylvester | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $99,000 | $172,000 |
| 2018 | $102,000 | $185,000 |
| 2019 | $106,000 | $201,000 |
| 2020 | $116,000 | $214,000 |
| 2021 | $122,000 | $239,000 |
| 2022 | $143,000 | $291,000 |
| 2023 | $148,000 | $321,000 |
| 2024 | $160,000 | $333,000 |
| 2025 | $162,000 | $337,000 |
| 2026 | $162,000 | $331,000 |
| September 2026 | $171,000 | $329,000 |
A typical Sylvester home worth $102K in October 2016 is worth about $171K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Sylvester’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Sylvester home, with $43K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $40 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Sylvester’s typical property tax (1.15% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $896, 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 (Albany, GA MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
40 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 40 new homes in Sylvester in 2025: 4 single-family houses and 36 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $6.3 million to build. That's 7.3 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Georgia as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Sylvester has permitted 128 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Sylvester's population fell by 544 even though 82 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Georgia: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 44 | 3 | 41 | $6.6 million |
| 2025 | 40 | 4 | 36 | $6.3 million |
| 2024 | 53 | 9 | 44 | $8.5 million |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $990,000 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $699,000 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $985,000 |
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2018 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $470,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $405,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $245,000 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $450,000 |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $793,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 51 | 0 | 51 | $6.4 million |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $280,000 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 76 | 16 | 60 | $7.1 million |
| 2006 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2005 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2004 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $622,000 |
| 2003 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $546,000 |
| 2002 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2001 | 16 | 12 | 4 | $1.2 million |
| 2000 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $623,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,337, under the Georgia median of $2,341, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.15% 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 Sylvester
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Albany, 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 | 88 | GA 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | GA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 88 | GA 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | 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.
Sylvester and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvester | B | $171K | $116K | 1.15% | $1,020 |
Questions about the cost of living in Sylvester
Is Sylvester expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sylvester costs less than 62% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #64 of 263 in Georgia. The typical home costs 2.0 years of the median household income of the Albany, GA metro area ($57K).
How much does a house cost in Sylvester?
About $171K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 10.2% in a year. The Georgia typical home is $329K.
What salary do you need to live in Sylvester?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $46,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,060 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $41,000.
How much is rent in Sylvester?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $896 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Sylvester?
The median bill is $1,337 a year, 1.15% of the median home value (Georgia: $2,341, 0.77%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Sylvester going up?
Yes: up 10.2% in the past year and 28.0% in five years, against 20.9% across Georgia (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Sylvester buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. 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.