City comparison
Albany, GA is about 175 miles (275 km) from Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Albany, GA to Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GA takes about 21 min, covering roughly 175 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Albany, GA is on Central Time and Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GA is on Eastern Time — a 1-hour difference. When it's noon in Albany, it's 1 p.m. in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), which puts Albany 1 hours behind.
Standard-time offsets. Daylight saving applies in both cities for most of the year (exceptions: Hawaii and most of Arizona), and the gap between the two stays the same.
Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) has a population of 201,615, vs 68,926 in Albany — about 2.9× larger by population. By land area, Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) covers about 300 sq mi vs 55 sq mi for Albany.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Albany | Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $889/mo | $1,023/mo | 15.1% higher in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) |
| Median home value | $111,200 | $141,900 | 27.6% higher in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) |
| Median household income | $43,724 | $50,492 | 15.5% higher in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 88.9 | 89.7 | 1.0% higher in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 98.7 | ≈ equal (Albany slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 98.2 | ≈ equal (Albany slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Albany, you'd need $109,284 in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Albany, GA is about 8.5% cheaper overall than Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 31% higher in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) than in Albany. If you earn $80,000 in Albany, you'd need about $87,428 in Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance) to keep the same standard of living.