Augusta vs Grovetown vs North Augusta vs Martinez: taxes, schools

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Sources: the Georgia Department of Revenue’s 2025 millage rates (PDF), the South Carolina Association of Counties’ 2025 property tax rates report (PDF), the state’s 2025 School Grades data, Zillow Research, the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey and each government’s own website, linked below.

Grovetown, Martinez and North Augusta are the three nearest places to Augusta with more than 5,000 people: Grovetown about 10 miles west, Martinez about 11 miles northwest and North Augusta about 13 miles away across the Savannah River in South Carolina. Grovetown and North Augusta are cities. Martinez is an unincorporated community governed by Columbia County, which we include because it is the second-nearest place on that list. This page sets the official figures side by side and draws no conclusions.

What this means for you

• Taxes: Augusta’s rate depends on its tax district; Grovetown adds a city rate to Columbia County’s; Martinez pays a county fire district rate instead of a city rate; North Augusta uses South Carolina’s very different system.
• Schools: three different districts, and the state scores below are not comparable across the Georgia and South Carolina line.
• Before you buy: check the county, tax district and school zone on the parcel record, using the links at the end of this page.

Property tax rates

Rates are mills (dollars per $1,000 of assessed value) for tax year 2025 from the Georgia Department of Revenue, operations plus bonds. In Georgia a home is assessed at 40% of fair market value. Augusta’s rates fell slightly for 2026; see our property tax guide.

North Augusta is taxed under South Carolina law. The South Carolina Association of Counties’ 2025 report lists Aiken County’s base rate at 70.34 mills and the Aiken County school district’s at 154.2 mills for operations and 33.7 for debt. An owner-occupied home is assessed at 4% of its value, and the report says such homes are exempt from school operating millage, paying only the school debt rate. The city bills its own property tax, due May 1, according to the city’s property tax page; we could not confirm the city’s 2025 rate from the city’s own records, so it is not shown. Because the assessment rules differ, these mills cannot be added to or compared with the Georgia figures.

Tax rates in one chart

Homestead exemptions

• Augusta: the regular homestead exemption takes $5,000 off assessed value for county taxes and $5,000 for school taxes, and 2026 is the first year of the floating homestead exemption voters approved in 2025; details in our property tax guide.
• Grovetown and Martinez: Columbia County’s regular homestead exemption takes $10,000 off assessed value for state, county and school taxes but not municipal taxes, according to the county’s tax exemptions page. The deadline is April 1.
• North Augusta: a legal residence is assessed at 4% instead of 6% and is exempt from school operating millage, according to the South Carolina Association of Counties’ report.

Schools

Georgia scores are 2025 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) figures from the state’s School Grades report. South Carolina rates its schools on a different scale.

For North Augusta, see the South Carolina Department of Education school report cards and the Aiken County Public School District. Augusta’s school zones by neighborhood are in our neighborhoods guide.

Home values

From the Zillow Home Value Index, city files. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price.

Home values in one chart

People, income and commutes

From the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates (data table). Augusta’s figures are for the consolidated city, which excludes Hephzibah and Blythe.

Who provides services

How to check an address

• Augusta: the Board of Assessors’ property search shows the parcel and its tax district, and the school system’s zone locator shows the zoned schools. Rates and the bill estimate are explained in our property tax guide.
• Grovetown and Martinez: Columbia County’s Tax Assessor page links the parcel search; the parcel record shows whether a property is inside Grovetown. School information is on the Columbia County School District site.
• North Augusta: Aiken County’s Assessor keeps the parcel records, and the city’s property tax page covers the city bill.

Neighborhood-by-neighborhood detail for Augusta is in our neighborhoods guide, and the wider area in Augusta, Richmond County and the neighbors.

Frequently asked questions

Are property taxes higher in Augusta or Columbia County?

On a Georgia home the 2025 rates were 28.921 mills in Augusta’s urban district and 26.876 in its suburban district, against 27.996 in Grovetown and 23.836 in unincorporated Martinez, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. Exemptions and the home’s value change the bill.

Is Martinez part of Augusta?

No. Martinez is an unincorporated community in Columbia County, so Columbia County provides its services and there is no city tax. The Census Bureau counts it as a census-designated place.

Is North Augusta in Georgia?

No. North Augusta is a city in South Carolina, across the Savannah River from Augusta. South Carolina assesses an owner-occupied home at 4% of its value, and its schools are run by the Aiken County Public School District.

Where are homes cheapest: Augusta, Grovetown, North Augusta or Martinez?

Augusta had the lowest typical home value of the four in August 2026, $188,114, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. Grovetown had the highest, $306,218.