Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 6.76% on Sept. 10, 2026, up from 6.71% a week earlier and 6.35% a year ago. That is close to 7%, but it is not 7%. We priced what that rate means on a median-listed home in Savannah, Athens and Macon, with Georgia property taxes and homeowners insurance included.
Mortgage rates Savannah 2026: the short version
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Savannah (inside city limits): about $3,150 a month. That is roughly $35 a month less than a year ago, because the metro's median list price fell 4.5% and that outweighed the higher rate.
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Athens-Clarke: about $3,260 a month, roughly $100 more than a year ago. The price was flat and the rate went up.
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Macon-Bibb: about $1,770 a month, roughly $58 more than a year ago. The median list price was unchanged at $240,000.
The rate is national. The payment is not. In these three markets, property tax and insurance move the monthly bill by hundreds of dollars, and in Savannah a lower asking price did more to the payment than the rate increase did.
This week's rates
The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey released Sept. 10, 2026 reported:
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30-year fixed: 6.76%, up from 6.71% the prior week and 6.35% a year ago
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15-year fixed: 6.09%, up from 6.04% the prior week and 5.50% a year ago
These are national averages, not a quote. The rate you are offered will depend on your loan, your finances and the lender. Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater said that for buyers, getting multiple quotes "can potentially save them thousands."
How we ran the numbers
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Price: the Realtor.com median listing price for August 2026 in each metro area, published through FRED (Savannah, Athens-Clarke, Macon). These are asking prices for whole metros, not closed sale prices inside each city. The Savannah metro includes Bryan and Effingham counties, Athens includes Oconee County, and Macon includes Jones and Monroe counties.
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Loan: 10% down and a 30-year fixed at 6.76%. At that rate, principal and interest is $649.26 a month for every $100,000 borrowed.
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Property tax: Georgia assesses homes at 40% of fair market value. We applied each area's 2026 millage and the $2,000 standard homestead exemption, which the Georgia Department of Revenue says comes off assessed value for county and school taxes. Some of the 2026 rates below were still proposals when we checked; we say which.
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Insurance: MoneyGeek's city averages, updated Sept. 1, 2026, for a $250,000 dwelling with a $1,000 deductible.
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Not included: mortgage insurance (PMI), flood insurance and HOA dues.
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Income needed: we used a 28% housing-cost-to-income guideline. That is a common rule of thumb, not a lender requirement. Lenders underwrite on your total debt-to-income ratio, and the limit varies by loan program.
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Year-ago comparison: August 2025 list price at the year-ago rate of 6.35%, with taxes and insurance held at current levels so the comparison isolates price and rate.
Savannah: a lower price offset the higher rate
The Savannah metro's median listing price was $399,990 in August 2026, down from $419,000 in August 2025, a drop of about 4.5%. It was $405,042 in July 2026.
With 10% down ($39,999), the loan is $359,991. The monthly math inside Savannah city limits:
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Principal and interest: about $2,337
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Property tax: about $536
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Homeowners insurance: about $280
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Total: about $3,153 a month, which takes a household income of about $135,000 at the 28% guideline
A year ago, the $419,000 median at 6.35% came to about $3,188 a month. So despite a rate that is 0.41 points higher, the payment on a median-listed home is about $35 a month lower.
Taxes. A city of Savannah address carries about 40.5 mills in 2026:
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Chatham County general fund: 10.518 mills, proposed and kept at the current rate, which is 0.330 mill above the 10.188 rollback rate (Chatham County)
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Chatham Area Transit: 0.940 mill, proposed
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Savannah-Chatham schools: 17.331 mills, unchanged from the prior year, tentatively adopted June 24, 2026, with a final vote scheduled for July 15 (SCCPSS)
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City of Savannah: 11.749 mills, proposed and unchanged, against a rollback rate of 11.402, with hearings set for Aug. 13 (WTOC)
We did not find confirmation of final adoption of the county and city rates. In unincorporated Chatham, owners pay a special service district levy of 6.502 mills instead of the city rate, for about 35.3 mills in total. On the same median-priced home, that puts the tax at roughly $470 a month instead of about $536.
The Stephens-Day gap. WTOC reported that the city's rate amounts to a 3% increase over rollback for owners not protected by the Stephens-Day Exemption, Chatham County's frozen-value homestead exemption. Long-time owners with that protection can be paying tax on a much older value. As a buyer, you will be taxed on roughly what you paid, so the seller's tax bill is not a guide to yours.
Insurance. Savannah's average premium, $3,355 a year, is the highest of the three cities. Flood insurance is a separate policy and matters on the coast, so price it before you commit.
Athens: a flat price and a higher payment
The Athens-Clarke metro's median listing price was $451,209 in August 2026, down only 0.3% from $452,500 a year earlier. It was $459,459 in July.
With 10% down ($45,121), the loan is $406,088:
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Principal and interest: about $2,637
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Property tax: about $462
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Homeowners insurance: about $160
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Total: about $3,259 a month, which takes a household income of about $140,000 at the 28% guideline
A year ago, the same math came to about $3,157. With the price essentially unchanged, the higher rate added about $102 a month and raised the income needed by about $4,400.
A caveat on price. The Athens metro includes Oconee County, which pushes the median well above what homes in Athens-Clarke itself typically sell for. If you are shopping inside Clarke County, your price, and your payment, may be lower than this figure. As a rough guide, every $10,000 less you borrow cuts principal and interest by about $65 a month at 6.76%.
Taxes. The combined rate is about 31.05 mills. The Athens-Clarke County general fund rate is 12.25 mills, unchanged, adopted with the fiscal 2027 budget on June 9, 2026, with the levy ordinance on July 21 (Citizen Portal, WUGA). The Clarke County School District rate is 18.8 mills, unchanged for a fourth straight year, but it was advertised as a 4.25% tax increase because property values rose (WUGA). Downtown properties pay an additional 1.00 mill for the Downtown Development Authority.
Insurance. Athens has the lowest average premium of the three, $1,917 a year.
Macon: the lowest entry point
The Macon metro's median listing price was $240,000 in both August 2026 and August 2025. It was $244,450 in July 2026.
With 10% down ($24,000), the loan is $216,000:
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Principal and interest: about $1,402
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Property tax: about $190
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Homeowners insurance: about $180
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Total: about $1,772 a month, which takes a household income of about $76,000 at the 28% guideline
A year ago, at 6.35%, the total was about $1,714. The rate alone added about $58 a month and raised the income needed by about $2,500. Taxes and insurance make up about 21% of the Macon payment.
Taxes. The combined rate is about 24.2 mills. The Macon-Bibb County rate is proposed at 9.575 mills, unchanged, against a rollback rate of 8.762, and was advertised as a 9.28% increase. A commission vote was scheduled for Sept. 9, 2026; we had not confirmed the result (41NBC). The Bibb County Board of Education adopted 14.674 mills on Sept. 9, also unchanged, against a rollback rate of 13.422. It was advertised as a 9.33% increase, which 41NBC put at about $104 a year on a $225,000 home (41NBC).
An unchanged rate can still be a tax increase. Keeping the rate above the rollback rate means collecting more as assessed values rise, which is why both Macon boards, and the Clarke school board, advertised increases.
Side by side: now
30-year fixed at 6.76%, 10% down, no PMI.
| Market | Median list price (Aug 2026) | Loan | Principal and interest | Property tax | Insurance | Total monthly | Income needed (28%) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Savannah (city limits) | $399,990 | $359,991 | $2,337 | $536 | $280 | $3,153 | ~$135,100 | | Athens-Clarke | $451,209 | $406,088 | $2,637 | $462 | $160 | $3,259 | ~$139,700 | | Macon-Bibb | $240,000 | $216,000 | $1,402 | $190 | $180 | $1,772 | ~$76,000 |
Side by side: a year ago, and at a full 7%
| Market | Median list price (Aug 2025) | Total a year ago (6.35%) | Income needed a year ago | Total now (6.76%) | Change | Total at 7.00% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Savannah (city limits) | $419,000 | $3,188 | ~$136,600 | $3,153 | about $35 less | $3,211 | | Athens-Clarke | $452,500 | $3,157 | ~$135,300 | $3,259 | about $102 more | $3,324 | | Macon-Bibb | $240,000 | $1,714 | ~$73,500 | $1,772 | about $58 more | $1,807 |
If the average did reach 7.00%, principal and interest would rise by about $16 a month for every $100,000 borrowed. On these three loans, the gap between 6.76% and 7% is about $35 to $65 a month.
The statewide backdrop
Georgia REALTORS reported for July 2026 a statewide median sales price of $370,000, up 2% from a year earlier. Closed sales fell 21% to 9,482, inventory rose 4% to 55,469 homes, the typical home spent 56 days on the market, and the state had 5.2 months of supply.
What moves your number
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Your down payment. Each $10,000 you do not borrow saves about $65 a month in principal and interest at 6.76%.
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Mortgage insurance. Putting less than 20% down usually means paying for mortgage insurance, which is not in these figures. Ask your lender for the exact cost at your credit score and down payment.
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City or unincorporated. In Chatham County, the same house can carry about 40.5 mills inside Savannah or about 35.3 mills outside it. In Athens, a downtown address adds 1.00 mill.
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Your homestead filing. The $2,000 exemption only helps if you file for it.
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Flood insurance. It is separate from a homeowners policy, and on the coast it can change the math.
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The lender you choose. Freddie Mac's own advice this week was to get more than one quote.
Practical steps before and after you buy
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Get insurance quotes before you go under contract, especially in Savannah and anywhere near the coast. Ask separately about flood coverage.
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Look up the millage for the exact address. Confirm whether it is inside city limits, in a special service district or in a downtown district. Rates for 2026 were still being finalized in parts of Chatham and Macon-Bibb.
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Budget escrow on your purchase price, not on the seller's tax bill. In Chatham, a seller protected by Stephens-Day may be paying far less than you will.
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File your homestead exemption after closing. The Georgia Department of Revenue says buyers can now file past April 1, up to the end of their 45-day window to appeal the assessment notice.
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Read your assessment notice when it arrives and check the value against what you paid. The notice starts the appeal clock.
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Collect several Loan Estimates on the same day so the rates are comparable, then ask each lender how your total debt-to-income ratio looks for the program you want.
The bottom line
We are not predicting where rates go next. The number that decides what you can afford is the monthly payment, not the headline rate, and in Savannah, Athens and Macon that payment depends as much on price, property tax and insurance as on whether the survey reads 6.76% or 7%. Run the math on the specific house, at the specific address, with your own quotes.
Related reading
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How Georgia's Intangible Tax Changes Your Refinance Break-Even
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Fulton County Property Tax Bill 2026: What the Corrected Bill Changes
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Pending Sales Just Fell 30% in Metro Atlanta — What That Actually Buys You at 6.65%
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How the Georgia Home Closing Process Works From Contract to Keys
Sources
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Freddie Mac PMMS: Mortgage Rates Average 6.76% (Sept. 10, 2026)
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FRED: Median Listing Price in Athens-Clarke County, GA (CBSA)
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Georgia REALTORS: New Listings, Sales Decrease While Prices Remain Stable in July
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SCCPSS: Highlights from the June 2026 Special Called Board Meeting
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WTOC: City of Savannah holds public hearing on millage rate (July 10, 2026)
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Citizen Portal: Athens-Clarke County adopts 2026 property tax rates
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WUGA: Athens-Clarke mayor proposes budget, millage rate to remain same
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WUGA: CCSD board sets millage rate hearing dates, approves tentative FY2027 budget
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41NBC: Macon-Bibb adds fourth property tax hearing before Sept. 9 vote
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MoneyGeek: Average Home Insurance Cost in Georgia (updated Sept. 1, 2026)
