Arab, Alabama Cost Of Living

Buy Rent

B+

11%

Overall NAT. AVG.

2%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

27%

Housing NAT. AVG.

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Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Arab	Alabama	National
Cost of living	89	88	100
Goods & Services	98	94	100
Groceries	97	98	100
Health care	89	91	100
Housing	73	72	100
Transportation	88	93	100
Utilities	96	101	100

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Key findings

The cost of living in Arab is 1% higher than the Alabama average
The cost of living in Arab is 11% lower than the national average
Arab housing is 27% lower than the national average
Alabama general sales tax is 21% lower than the national average
Alabama state income tax is 19% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

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

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$59,899	$4,992	$1,398	$1,797
Renters	$20,346	$1,696	$475	$610

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Arab, AL, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Arab, homeowners have a median income of $59,899. Using that number, a maximum of $1,398 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $20,346, which means there is a maximum of $475 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

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%

Goods & Services

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$18.03	$20.27	11.1%
Beauty Salon	$50.36	$40.39	24.7%
Toothpaste	$2.12	$2.36	10.3%
Shampoo	$1.12	$1.08	4.1%
Movie	$11.61	$10.99	5.7%
Bowling	$19.00	$15.49	22.7%

Groceries

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.01	$4.30	16.7%
Fried Chicken	$1.52	$1.40	8.4%
Milk	$1.92	$2.20	12.8%
Potatoes	$3.18	$3.22	1.3%
Pizza	$10.16	$10.74	5.4%
Beer	$9.67	$9.60	0.8%

Health Care

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$67.30	$109.73	38.7%
Doctor	$120.22	$118.34	1.6%
Dentist	$87.08	$100.94	13.7%
Ibuprofen	$9.81	$9.93	1.2%
Lipitor	$409.47	$469.53	12.8%

Housing

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$149,300.00	$184,700.00	19.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$878.01	$1,229.62	28.6%
Apartment Rent	$533.00	$949.00	43.8%

Transportation

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.41	$2.71	11.1%
Tire Balancing	$44.25	$51.86	14.7%

Utilities

Item	Arab	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$161.54	$170.84	5.4%
Phone	$185.19	$187.18	1.1%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Douglas, AL	1,056	80	20.5%
Joppa, AL	467	82	18.4%
Snead, AL	710	84	16.4%
Fairview, AL	512	82	17.7%
Baileyton, AL	766	82	17.6%
Arab, AL	8,247	89	11.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fort Dix, NJ	8,246	138	37.8%
Fort Mitchell, KY	8,245	101	1.1%
St. Martin, MS	8,245	87	13.1%
Ripley, TN	8,249	79	21.3%
Pineville, NC	8,244	98	2.4%
Arab, AL	8,247	89	11.0%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2022 and was released from C2ER in January, 2022; this is the most current data available.