Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Suwanee or Duluth?

The four cities at a glance

Where the rates come from is in the property tax section below. These cities sit next to each other: Johns Creek and Duluth share ZIP 30097, and Johns Creek and Alpharetta share 30005 and 30022. So the ZIP code and the city on the mailing address don't tell you the county, the city taxes or the school district; always check by the exact address.

Prices: where to find current numbers

Monthly list prices, days on market and rents by ZIP are on the site's city market pages (these are listing statistics, not sales): Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Suwanee, Duluth. For a specific home, the home value estimate gives an automated estimate (not an appraisal), and before an offer I pull the comparable sales from the last 90 days.

For context: in Georgia MLS's 12 core metro Atlanta counties, the September 2026 median sale price was $399,900, flat from a year earlier, with 5.3% more homes for sale (September market). Most single-family homes in these four cities sit above that median. Two of my current listings as reference points: 360 Dewpoint Ln, Johns Creek at $1,498,000, and 5296 Cheval Ct, Suwanee, 7 bedrooms and 5,932 sq ft at $944,000, about $159 per sq ft. Within one city, age, size, lot and amenities can double the price, so set your budget and must-haves first, then pick the city.

Property tax: Fulton vs. Gwinnett

Georgia property tax = (market value × 40% − exemptions) × millage ÷ 1,000. The county, the school district and the city each set a rate; together they are your total rate. The table uses these published rates:

• Johns Creek: Fulton County general fund 8.87 mills (2026, unchanged for a fifth year, Rough Draft Atlanta, Oct. 14) + Fulton County Schools 18.08 mills + City of Johns Creek 3.492 mills (2025, city announcement) ≈ 30.44 mills.
• Alpharetta: 8.87 + 18.08 + City of Alpharetta 5.75 mills (unchanged for years, FOX 5) ≈ 32.70 mills.
• Suwanee: Gwinnett County bill 31.6 mills (county 6.95, school operations 18.7, school bonds 1.45 and others; the Gwinnett Tax Commissioner's 2026 rates) + City of Suwanee 4.93 mills ≈ 36.53 mills.
• Duluth: the Gwinnett County bill is also 31.6 mills; like Suwanee, Duluth sends its own city tax bill, so ask for the seller's latest city bill before you buy.

Keep in mind:

• Fulton's 18.08 school rate is tentative. On Aug. 20 the school board tentatively approved a 1-mill increase from 17.08, the first in seven years, with hearings through October. If it isn't adopted, Johns Creek and Alpharetta are about 1 mill lower (about $240 a year on a $600,000 home).
• Unincorporated Gwinnett (outside any city) pays 34.86 mills on the county bill, more than the 31.6 inside cities, because the county provides police, fire and other services there; homes inside a city get a separate city bill instead.
• Exemptions come off separately. Owner-occupants file for homestead with the county by April 1 after moving in. Amounts differ by county: Gwinnett's regular homestead takes $10,000 off county tax, $8,000 off school tax and $7,000 off recreation tax in assessed value; Fulton's school district added exemptions of 25% of assessed value at 65 and 50% at 70. The table is before exemptions.
• New homes jump in year two, because the first year is often taxed on the land or an unfinished house; see buying new construction.

Bill dates and appeals are in Atlanta property tax 2026. For a specific address, use the Georgia property tax calculator.

Schools: check by address, not by city name

• Johns Creek and Alpharetta are in Fulton County Schools; Suwanee and Duluth are in Gwinnett County Public Schools.
• Some homes with an Alpharetta or Suwanee mailing address are actually in Forsyth County, in Forsyth County Schools and on Forsyth's tax rates.
• Attendance zones change; for new communities, call the district to confirm.

Lookup tools and steps are in how to check Atlanta school zones, and the Fulton, Gwinnett and Forsyth boundaries are on the school zone map. I don't rate schools for you; test results, budgets and other data are published by the Georgia Department of Education and each district.

What each city has

• Johns Creek: along the Chattahoochee River, with parks such as Newtown Park and Cauley Creek Park; U.S. News & World Report ranked it the No. 1 best place to live in the U.S. in 2025.
• Alpharetta: on GA-400, with Avalon, a walkable downtown, many technology offices and the Big Creek Greenway running through the city.
• Suwanee: on I-85, with Town Center Park and a greenway trail system; it borders Forsyth County and Sugar Hill.
• Duluth: on I-85 and Peachtree Industrial Blvd, with the downtown Town Green and the Gas South District (arena and convention center) nearby; my brokerage, Virtual Properties Realty, is also in Duluth.

How to choose: answer these 5 questions first

• Where do you commute every day? Check the drive on a map at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; GA-400 and I-85 both back up at rush hour, and the same 10 miles can take very different times.
• What's the budget, and how many bedrooms? The budget decides which subdivisions are in play in each city; get pre-approved to pin it down.
• How much property tax and HOA can you accept? By the math above, two homes at the same price can differ by more than $1,000 a year in tax; HOA fees and rules vary by subdivision.
• New or resale? For new construction, look at which cities still have communities being built, and bring your agent on the first model-home visit.
• Might you rent it out later? Some HOAs restrict rentals; read the covenants before you sign. See the investment property guide.

How I can help

Tell me your budget, where you work and your must-haves, and I'll put the matching homes in these four cities (or Milton, Sugar Hill and Cumming too) into one table: price, price per square foot, property tax, HOA, school district (with the district's lookup result) and recent comparable sales, side by side. I also handle the loan, so one person works with you from search to closing. Moving from out of state? Start with California to Atlanta and the Atlanta home buying guide.