Tuscaloosa, AL Cost Of Living

Tuscaloosa cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Tuscaloosa	Alabama	National
Cost of living index	92	89	100
Index	Tuscaloosa	Alabama	National
Goods & Services index	92	96	100
Groceries index	96	97	100
Health care index	84	86	100
Housing index	90	72	100
Transportation index	91	91	100
Utilities index	101	108	100

A general overview of the cost of living index for Tuscaloosa, AL is displayed above. In Tuscaloosa, AL, the overall cost of living index is 92, which is 3% higher than the Alabama average and 8% lower than the U.S. average. The following categories are used to calculate the overall cost of living index: goods/services (33%), housing (30%), groceries (13%), utilities (10%), transportation (9%) and health care (5%). From the list, it is clear that the categories of goods/services and housing are responsible for the largest portions of the overall cost of living index. As a general rule, everyday goods and services provide an accurate measure of the general cost of goods in any given city. In the case of Tuscaloosa, AL, the city's goods and services are 5% lower than the Alabama average and 8% lower than the U.S. average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Tuscaloosa is 3% higher than the Alabama average.
The cost of living in Tuscaloosa is 8% lower than the national average.
The cost of housing in Tuscaloosa is 10% lower than the national average.
Alabama general sales tax is 21% lower than the national average.
Alabama state income tax is 10% lower than the national average.

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Salary Calculator

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

The salary calculator is meant to help you compare your salary in Tuscaloosa, AL to your potential earning power in another city. This can help you deduce what your salary would need to be in any given city in order for you to live the same lifestyle that you do in your current city. In other words, if you plan on moving to a city where the cost of living is higher than in Tuscaloosa, AL, you'll have to make more money in the new city in order to maintain the lifestyle you currently enjoy. To use the Tuscaloosa, AL salary calculator, simply input the new city, then move the adjustable slider to match your current income. Once you've selected your income, the calculator will determine if that income is sufficient to support your standard of living in the new city you entered. The calculator will also supply you with a rundown of living costs in the new city.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$63,513	$5,293	$1,482	$1,906
Renters	$25,048	$2,087	$584	$752

The affordability of the housing market in Tuscaloosa, AL as well as the overall cost of living can be indicated accurately by what percent of the monthly income is spent on housing related costs. This is konwn as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The overall rule of thumb is that no more than 28% of your gross income should ever be used on the overall costs related to housing and no more than 36% of gross income on all expenses and debts. Among Tuscaloosa, AL homeowners, the median income is $63,513. This indicates that a monthly maximum of $1,482 should be spent by homeowners on all housing related costs. Renters have a median income of $25,048. This indicates that renters should have a maximum of $584 used for their rent related monthly costs.

Alabama Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Alabama	4%	13.5%

Alabama Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Alabama	2%	5%

For those who live in Tuscaloosa, AL and want to know what the true cost of living is, they ought to look at both the Alabama income tax rate and the Alabama sales tax rate. By sales tax, we mean the taxes that are included whenever a person is purchasing any goods or services. The amount that is taxed depends upon the particular state, where some states have a sales tax of zero percent while others can have a tax higher than seven percent. In Alabama, the sales tax is 4%, while the most you'll pay in surtax is 13.5%. There is also income tax to consider, which is based upon the amount of money made in a year. Just like sales tax, income tax depends upon the particular state but also depends upon what tax bracket the person is in. Income tax for the state can be higher than nine percent in some states to zero percent in others. For those that live in Alabama, the income tax rate ranges between 2% to 5%.

Goods & Services

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$15.33	$16.09	4.7%
Beauty Salon	$34.18	$37.33	8.4%
Toothpaste	$3.52	$2.45	43.7%
Shampoo	$0.84	$1.00	16.0%
Movie	$10.49	$10.28	2.1%
Bowling	$5.28	$4.93	7.1%

Groceries

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.01	$3.80	5.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.26	$1.40	9.6%
Milk	$2.26	$2.01	12.4%
Potatoes	$5.16	$3.01	71.4%
Pizza	$8.49	$9.89	14.1%
Beer	$8.14	$8.90	8.6%

Health Care

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$116.33	$102.16	13.9%
Doctor	$86.11	$108.36	20.5%
Dentist	$71.22	$92.53	23.0%
Ibuprofen	$5.96	$9.28	35.8%
Lipitor	$432.03	$425.82	1.5%

Housing

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$170,800.00	$184,700.00	7.5%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$972.83	$1,202.44	19.1%
Apartment Rent	$791.00	$949.00	16.6%

Transportation

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.01	$2.24	10.3%
Tire Balancing	$43.49	$46.29	6.1%

Utilities

Item	Tuscaloosa	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$190.76	$165.96	14.9%
Phone	$24.33	$28.68	15.2%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Holt, AL	3,728	80	-20%
Cottondale, AL	3,546	85	-15%
Moundville, AL	2,580	87	-13%
Brookwood, AL	2,029	88	-12%
Coaling, AL	1,637	89	-11%
Tuscaloosa, AL	96,352	92	-8%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Mission Viejo, CA	96,178	166	66%
Portsmouth, VA	96,071	105	5%
Lawton, OK	96,728	85	-15%
Arden-Arcade, CA	96,898	120	20%
Vacaville, CA	95,607	127	27%
Tuscaloosa, AL	96,352	92	-8%

Source: The Tuscaloosa, AL cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Tuscaloosa, AL Cost of Living