City comparison
Albany, GA is about 175 miles (275 km) from Savannah, GA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 h 45 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 Savannah, 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 Savannah, GA is on Eastern Time — a 1-hour difference. When it's noon in Albany, it's 1 p.m. in Savannah, 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.
Savannah has a population of 147,583, vs 68,926 in Albany — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Savannah covers about 110 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 | Savannah | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $889/mo | $1,216/mo | 36.8% higher in Savannah |
| Median home value | $111,200 | $203,300 | 82.8% higher in Savannah |
| Median household income | $43,724 | $54,748 | 25.2% higher in Savannah |
| Groceries index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 88.9 | 89.2 | ≈ equal (Savannah slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 98.8 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 98.3 | 98.3 | ≈ equal |
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 $116,490 in Savannah to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Albany, GA is about 14.2% cheaper overall than Savannah, GA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 55% higher in Savannah than in Albany. If you earn $80,000 in Albany, you'd need about $93,192 in Savannah to keep the same standard of living.