The same $400,000 home costs $3,738/year in one metro Atlanta county and $6,974 in another. Here's how all 15 counties rank.
Metro Atlanta Property Tax Rates Compared: Which County Charges the Most? Two homeowners buy identical $400,000 houses on the same day — one in Fayette County, the other in DeKalb County. Before exemptions, the DeKalb homeowner pays $6,974 per year in property taxes. The Fayette homeowner pays $3,738. That $3,236 annual gap adds up to more than $96,000 over a 30-year mortgage. When you compare metro Atlanta property tax rates county by county, gaps of a thousand dollars or more on the same home are routine. Georgia ranks 26th nationally with a 0.77% average effective rate — solidly middle of the pack. But within the metro, effective rates range from 0.68% to 0.97%, and total millage spans from 23 to 44 mills. Whether you're a current homeowner questioning your tax bill or a buyer weighing where to purchase, here's how all 15 major metro Atlanta counties stack up — ranked, broken down by component, and sourced from official county records. How 15 Metro Atlanta Counties Rank by Effective Tax Rate The effective tax rate — median annual tax divided by median home value — is the best apples-to-apples measure of what homeowners actually pay. It accounts for exemptions, credits, and real-world tax burdens that raw millage rates miss. Rank County Effective Rate Median Home Value Median Annual Tax ------ -------- --------------- ------------------- ------------------- 1 Clayton 0.97% $264,900 $2,567 2 DeKalb 0.96% $375,400 $3,586 3 Gwinnett 0.92% $424,400 $3,910 4 Henry 0.91% $347,800 $3,177 5 Fulton 0.86% $503,000 $4,310 6 Newton 0.83% $314,900 $2,606 7 Hall 0.80% $388,000 $3,108 8 Rockdale 0.78% $360,100 $2,805 9 Paulding 0.75% $374,800 $2,812 10 Fayette 0.75% $463,900 $3,482 11 Bartow 0.70% $335,800 $2,360 12 Douglas 0.69% $331,700 $2,274 13 Cobb 0.68% $454,400 $3,077 14 Cherokee 0.68% $482,600 $3,297 15 Forsyth 0.68% $642,700 $4,384 Source: SmartAsset,…