City Comparison · North Fulton
Alpharetta vs. Johns Creek: Which North Fulton Suburb Is Right for You?
Alpharetta and Johns Creek are neighboring North Fulton suburbs and two of metro Atlanta's most affluent, best-schooled communities. They're often on the same shortlist — but they have different personalities. Here's an honest, side-by-side comparison.
Quick answer
Both are expensive, top-schooled Fulton County suburbs with a 7.75% sales tax and no MARTA rail. Alpharetta is the more walkable and amenity-rich of the two, with Avalon, a rebuilt downtown, and a dense tech-job base. Johns Creek is slightly more affluent and residential — known for gated golf communities and some of the state's highest-ranked schools, but with fewer walkable centers. The 2020–24 median home values sit about $20,000 apart, but Johns Creek is 80% owner-occupied against Alpharetta's 65%, and its city tax rate is lower. Choose Alpharetta for lifestyle and walkability; Johns Creek for large-home, top-schools suburban living.
At a glance
| Measure | Alpharetta | Johns Creek |
|---|---|---|
| County | Fulton | Fulton |
| Median household income | $147,612 | $160,093 |
| Median home value | $649,000 | $629,400 |
| Combined sales tax | 7.75% | 7.75% |
| Schools | Fulton County Schools | Fulton County Schools (top-ranked) |
| Main corridors | GA-400 | GA-141, McGinnis Ferry |
| MARTA rail | No | No |
| Known for | Avalon, walkable downtown, tech jobs | Gated golf communities, top schools |
Income and home-value figures are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates; golf-community medians run higher.
Home prices, housing & cost
These are two of the priciest suburbs in the metro, and they're close. In the 2020–24 estimates, Johns Creek has the higher median household income and Alpharetta the slightly higher median home value. Alpharetta's housing is more varied — from estates to walkable townhomes and apartments around Avalon and downtown. Johns Creek is mostly single-family neighborhoods, so far more of its homes are owner-occupied and there is less to rent.
| Housing measure | Alpharetta | Johns Creek |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2020–24 | $649,000 | $629,400 |
| Median home value, 2024 survey | $737,000 | $679,200 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 65.1% | 80.4% |
| Single-unit homes, 2024 survey | 63% | 86% |
| Median gross rent | $1,948 | $2,257 |
| Median monthly owner cost with a mortgage | $2,950 | $2,809 |
| City property tax, 2026 | 5.750 mills | 3.681 mills |
U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates unless marked. The 2024 survey is the one-year estimate, which has wider margins of error. City tax rates: Appen Media.
Census medians are owners' own estimates across owner-occupied homes, not asking prices, so a home on the market today can sit well above them. In both cities, about six in ten owner-occupied homes are valued between $500,000 and $1 million.
City property tax is a real difference. Georgia assesses homes at 40 percent of market value, so at each city's median the city levy is about $1,490 a year in Alpharetta and $930 in Johns Creek, or about $1,265 and $875 after each city's basic homestead exemption. County and school levies are separate.
Looking at homes for sale in Alpharetta or Johns Creek?
LIOO Moving doesn't list homes, so use a listing site or a local agent to see what's on the market today. What we can add is how to read those listings. The city on a listing is usually the mailing city, and in this corner of North Fulton the mailing city often isn't the city the home sits in. We measured the Census Bureau's city limits against its ZIP code areas:
| ZIP | Default mailing city | Inside Alpharetta | Inside Johns Creek | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30009 | Alpharetta | 80% | None | Milton 16%, Roswell 5% |
| 30005 | Alpharetta | 54% | 16% | Unincorporated Forsyth County 29% |
| 30022 | Alpharetta | 27% | 65% | Roswell 8% |
| 30004 | Alpharetta | 7% | None | Milton 61%, unincorporated Forsyth 16%, unincorporated Cherokee 16% |
| 30097 | Duluth | None | 50% | Gwinnett County 43% (Duluth 11%), unincorporated Forsyth 7% |
Shares of each ZIP's land. ZIP code areas are the Census Bureau's 2020 approximation of postal routes, so check a street near a boundary against the county tax record.
About two-thirds of ZIP 30022 is in Johns Creek, so a home listed as Alpharetta there may well be in Johns Creek, and about half of ZIP 30097 is too, under a Duluth address. What the boundary changes:
- The city limit sets the city tax rate and which city's services you get.
- Inside Fulton County, both cities are in Fulton County Schools, and the assigned school follows the street address, not the mailing city.
- Outside Fulton County, schools and sales tax change: Forsyth County Schools and 7% in Forsyth, Gwinnett County Public Schools and 6% in Gwinnett, Cherokee County School District and 7% in Cherokee.
Ask for the tax record on any home you are serious about, because its tax district shows which city, if any, taxes it. Once you have an address, our Alpharetta movers and Johns Creek movers pages cover the building rules, gates and access for that side of the line.
Schools
Both are served by Fulton County Schools and both are major draws for families. Johns Creek includes some of the state's highest-ranked public high schools (Northview, Chattahoochee, Johns Creek); Alpharetta is anchored by Alpharetta High and Chattahoochee. School demand is a big part of home prices in both, so families often weigh the specific attendance zone.
Lifestyle & getting around
Alpharetta is the more walkable and amenity-rich: Avalon and a rebuilt downtown give it real gathering places, and it sits on GA-400, the straight shot to the Perimeter and Atlanta (the SR 400 express lanes are under construction and scheduled to open in 2031). Johns Creek is more purely residential, organized around GA-141 (Medlock Bridge Road) and McGinnis Ferry, with fewer walkable centers but quiet, spacious neighborhoods. Neither has MARTA rail, so both are car-dependent.
Who each suits
- Choose Alpharetta if you want walkability, dining and nightlife at Avalon and downtown, and proximity to the tech-job corridor.
- Choose Johns Creek if you want a large home in a quiet, gated or master-planned community with some of the state's top-ranked schools, and don't mind a more car-dependent, residential setting. If that is your pick, see how our Johns Creek movers clear gated-community paperwork and school-calendar dates.
Planning a move? See our moving to Alpharetta and moving to Johns Creek guides.
Alpharetta vs. Johns Creek FAQ
Is Alpharetta or Johns Creek more expensive?+
What do homes cost in Alpharetta and Johns Creek?+
Is a home with an Alpharetta address always in the City of Alpharetta?+
How far is Alpharetta from Johns Creek?+
Is Johns Creek in Alpharetta?+
Which has better schools?+
Which is more walkable?+
Do either have MARTA rail?+
Which is better for families?+
Moving to Alpharetta or Johns Creek?
LIOO Moving serves both and all of North Fulton — Licensed Georgia Household Goods Carrier, insured crews, transparent hourly pricing, 24/7 booking.
Keep reading
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — Alpharetta & Johns Creek, Georgia (census.gov)
- Census Reporter — Alpharetta, GA
- Census Reporter — Johns Creek, GA
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb — city limits, counties and 2020 ZIP code areas, measured by LIOO
- Appen Media — 2026 millage rates for Johns Creek and Alpharetta
- City of Alpharetta — homestead exemptions
- City of Johns Creek — property taxes
- Fulton County Schools (fultonschools.org)
- Georgia sales-tax references — Avalara / GA DOR
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