This is how much more than minimum wage GA renters must earn to afford a two bedroom
Renting isn’t just expensive, it is out of reach for many working individuals. To rent a two-bedroom unit in Georgia, you need to earn almost four times the minimum wage.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 Out of Reach report, a Georgia renter needs to earn $29.46 an hour to afford a two-bedroom at fair market rent without spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
Because the state minimum wage is only $7.25, obtaining a two-bedroom apartment is mathematically impossible for workers, even those who work full-time.
What this means for Georgia renters
This data reveals what many renters already know. The widening gap between wages and costs reflects an impossible financial situation for many Georgia workers.
Looking at the Fair market rent (FMR,) for Georgia and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) the data paints a picture about the current rental housing market.
The data for Georgia:
- FMR for a two-bedroom is $1,532/month
- A household must earn $61,273 annually, or $5,106/month
- A minimum-wage worker would need to work 163 hours per week, or hold 4.1 full-time jobs
- The average renter wage $22.08/hour
What does “living wage” really mean?
MIT’s Living Wage Calculator offers larger context for Georgia workers. It calculates the costs of each basic need that go into estimating the living wage and can vary by location and family size.
A single adult in Georgia needs to earn $24.21/hour to cover basic expenses without children and one-child households must make $37.86/hour.
The required annual income for a two-adult household with only one child is $77,685, yet the median household income is $77,353. This leaves only a few hundred dollars surplus for expenses.
Average cost of expenses:
- Food: $10,065
- Child care: $9,227
- Medical: $9,382
- Transportation: $13,499
- Internet and mobile: $2,233
What can renters do?
If you’re struggling to find affordable housing in Georgia, there are resources to help:
- Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher programs
- 211 Georgia connects residents with emergency rental assistance, utility help, and housing navigation services
- HUD’s rental assistance finder can help find federally subsidized units
These numbers suggest a growing housing crisis for Georgia workers. Wages haven’t kept pace with rent increases and Georgia’s minimum wage has not gone up since 2009.
For the 1.4 million renters this means full-time work no longer guarantees stable housing and can lead to overcrowding, longer commute times or cutting back on other expenses, often necessities.