Most of what you read on What’s Up Dunwoody is my opinion. This one is mostly facts. Cost of living is numbers, so I’m keeping my opinions short and telling you where every number comes from.
I get this question all the time, usually from someone in Midtown, Buckhead or Decatur who’s tired of not having a yard. Is Dunwoody expensive?
Yes. But you get more for it. In most cases you get more house and more yard than the same money buys you in the city.
I moved here in 2010 and I’ve been selling homes here since 2016. Here’s what it actually costs.
Dunwoody costs more than the average Atlanta suburb, and housing is the reason. The median home sold for about $671,000 in August 2026 (Redfin). Most of the city has median estimated values of $752,000 to $855,000, while the east side near Tilly Mill Road and Winters Chapel Road runs lower (RPR). Rent averages $1,778 a month (Zumper). Dunwoody’s city tax rate is the lowest in DeKalb County.
What Homes Cost in Dunwoody
According to Redfin, the median Dunwoody home sold for $670,806 in August 2026, down 4.2% from a year earlier. Homes sold in a median of 27 days.
That one number mixes condos, townhomes and houses together. The map above breaks it out by area. Most of Dunwoody falls between $752,000 and $855,000 (purple). The east side, around Peeler Road, Tilly Mill Road and Winters Chapel Road, comes in under about $597,000 (yellow), and so does a pocket near Perimeter Center.
That east side is exactly where Sasha and I landed. When we moved here in 2010, a little over $300,000 bought us a house, and it put us close to both of our families. It’s more than doubled in value since then. But that’s what we could afford, and it’s still where a lot of people find their way into Dunwoody.
Why the difference? My take: Dunwoody’s prices take after its neighbors. Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Chamblee are expensive, and that spills into the parts of Dunwoody closest to them. The east side borders Doraville and Peachtree Corners, which have sold for less. In May 2024, the median sale price was about $390,000 in Doraville and $540,000 in Peachtree Corners, compared with $633,000 in Dunwoody (Rocket Homes).
What Your Budget Gets You
- Around $400,000: mostly condos and townhomes. Houses at this price are rare.
- Around $500,000: you can find a small house, but there aren’t many of them.
- Around $650,000: a decent house. I mention Dunwoody North to everybody because it’s my neighborhood and I love it. I’d also look down Peeler Road toward Winters Chapel Road.
- Around $800,000: lots of choices, and a very nice house in some neighborhoods.
One thing that surprises people: ranch homes and smaller houses are hard to find at any price. About half of Dunwoody’s homes are single-family houses, and the typical home was built in 1984 (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023). An older house usually means some repairs in your first few years. More on that below.
For the full picture on buying here, my Moving to Dunwoody guide covers the neighborhoods.
Property Taxes: The City Part Is Low, the School Part Is Not
Georgia taxes homes on 40% of their value, then applies a rate called a millage rate. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value. Your Dunwoody bill has three main parts: the City of Dunwoody, DeKalb County and DeKalb County Schools.
The city part is low. Dunwoody’s rate is 3.04 mills. Homeowners with a homestead exemption get a one-mill reduction, which brings it down to 2.04. The city also freezes the assessed value on homesteaded homes, so the city part of your bill doesn’t climb when your home’s value does (City of Dunwoody). In June 2026, the city’s finance director said Dunwoody’s rate is the lowest in DeKalb County (Rough Draft Atlanta).
The school part is most of the bill. The city’s share is only about 5% of a typical residential tax bill (City of Dunwoody, July 2026 council meeting). The big piece is the DeKalb County School District, at 22.78 mills for 2026 (Rough Draft Atlanta). For a rough idea of the total, the median Dunwoody homeowner paid $5,334 a year in property taxes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023). Values have gone up since then.
File your homestead exemption. It’s not automatic. In DeKalb, it takes $12,500 off your assessed value for school taxes and $10,000 for county taxes (DeKalb County Tax Commissioner). It also unlocks Dunwoody’s city freeze and DeKalb’s EHOST credit. EHOST is a one-penny sales tax that goes entirely to lowering homeowners’ property taxes. DeKalb is the only county in Georgia that has one (DeKalb County).
Dunwoody vs. Intown vs. Alpharetta
I’ll be honest. I assumed Alpharetta’s property taxes were higher. On the city part, they are. Alpharetta’s city rate is 5.75 mills, compared with Dunwoody’s 3.04 (City of Alpharetta, via AJC). But Alpharetta is in Fulton County, and the Fulton County Schools rate was 17.08 mills in 2025, with 18.08 tentatively adopted for 2026 (Rough Draft Atlanta). DeKalb’s school rate is 22.78. So the total rate usually comes out lower in Alpharetta. DeKalb’s EHOST credit closes some of that gap for homeowners who file their homestead.
Where Dunwoody wins is location. If you work in Atlanta or go into the city a lot, Dunwoody saves you a big chunk of the drive from Alpharetta. You’re on I-285 and GA-400, and the Dunwoody MARTA station is right by Perimeter Center.
Compared with intown, it comes back to that first answer: more house and more yard for the money.
One more thing I’d count: your commute. If I could tell my 2010 self one thing about budgeting for Dunwoody, it’s that time in the car is a cost too. It doesn’t show up on a cost-of-living index, but you feel it every day. MARTA helps. Not many houses are walkable to a station, but buses come through the city. We don’t ride it much ourselves, but for a lot of people here it’s a big part of how they get downtown.
Renting First
Renting is a good way to try Dunwoody before you buy, and it’s cheaper than you might expect. According to Zumper, the average Dunwoody rent was $1,778 a month in May 2026, about 9% below the national average. That’s up 12% from the year before. A one-bedroom runs about $1,500, a two-bedroom about $1,856, and renting a house averages around $4,200.
Other Costs to Budget For
- Sewer lines. A lot of older Dunwoody homes still have terracotta (clay) sewer pipes. We had to replace ours right after we moved in. Welcome to homeownership, right? Ask your inspector about scoping the sewer line before you buy.
- Trees. Dunwoody has a ton of them. The city has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation 14 years in a row (City of Dunwoody). My theory: Dunwoody is an older city without a lot of infill, so the trees grew up right alongside the houses. The city’s own tree assessment backs that up. For more than a century this area was mostly row-crop farmland, and the canopy grew back after that. It’s beautiful, but it costs money. We had 27 trees taken down in our first few years, and we still have plenty. On a single-family lot, you don’t need a city permit to remove a tree unless it’s within the 75-foot stream buffer. Inside the buffer, you need a permit and a certified arborist’s report (City of Dunwoody).
- Swim and tennis dues. Many Dunwoody neighborhoods have their own swim and tennis club. Dues are separate from your mortgage and usually paid yearly. From what I’ve seen, The Branches is on the higher end, and Dunwoody North Driving Club and Kingsley are on the lower end.
- Your homestead exemption. Not a cost, but skipping it is expensive. File it.
Is Dunwoody Worth It?
It depends on your budget. If you need a house under $400,000, Dunwoody is tough. You’ll mostly find condos and townhomes. Ranches and small homes are hard to find too.
But if you want more house and more yard than you’d get intown, and you still want to be close to the city, it’s hard to beat. And the stuff that doesn’t show up in a cost-of-living number is a big reason people stay: the parks, the restaurants and the schools.
Thinking About Dunwoody?
If you’re thinking about moving to Dunwoody, I’m around. My advice is always the same: pick the area first, then the house. Call or text me at 404-502-8683, or grab a time at whatsupdunwoody.com/call. You can browse homes for sale at movetodunwoody.com.
Already live here? Curious what your house is worth? Reach out and I’ll tell you. Call or text 404-502-8683.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dunwoody, GA expensive to live in?
Yes, mostly because of housing. The median home sold for $670,806 in August 2026, according to Redfin. Renting is closer to normal: the average rent of $1,778 a month is about 9% below the national average (Zumper, May 2026).
What is the property tax rate in Dunwoody?
The City of Dunwoody’s rate is 3.04 mills, or 2.04 for homes with a homestead exemption, the lowest city rate in DeKalb County. Most of a Dunwoody tax bill goes to DeKalb County Schools, whose rate is 22.78 mills for 2026.
How much is rent in Dunwoody?
The average rent was $1,778 a month in May 2026, according to Zumper. A one-bedroom runs about $1,500, a two-bedroom about $1,856, and a rental house averages around $4,200.
What is the most affordable part of Dunwoody?
Based on RPR’s median estimated values, the east side around Tilly Mill Road, Winters Chapel Road and Peeler Road, plus a pocket near Perimeter Center, come in under about $597,000. Most of the rest of the city runs $752,000 to $855,000.
Are property taxes lower in Dunwoody or Alpharetta?
Dunwoody’s city rate (3.04 mills) is lower than Alpharetta’s (5.75 mills). But DeKalb’s school rate (22.78 mills) is higher than Fulton’s (17.08 mills in 2025), so Alpharetta’s total rate usually comes out lower. DeKalb’s EHOST credit narrows the gap for homeowners with a homestead exemption.
Can you buy a house in Dunwoody for $500,000?
Sometimes, but there aren’t many. At $500,000 you’re usually looking at a smaller house. Under $400,000, you’re mostly looking at condos and townhomes.