Overall
- Gadsden
- 85.7
- Anniston-Oxford
- 85.9
Diff +0.3 RPP
Gadsden vs Anniston-Oxford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Anniston-Oxford is 0.3% more expensive than Gadsden.
0.3% more expensive
Anniston-Oxford, AL is 0.3% more expensive than Gadsden, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.9 vs 85.7). A $100,000 salary in Gadsden buys about the same as $100,346 in Anniston-Oxford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 85.7 (Gadsden) vs 85.9 (Anniston-Oxford)
- $100k in Gadsden ≈ $100,346 purchasing power in Anniston-Oxford
- Rents drives the gap (+1.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:AL 85.7→85.9
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · AL
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Gadsden
85.7
Cost Index
Anniston-Oxford
85.9
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Gadsden, AL and Anniston-Oxford, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.3 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Anniston-Oxford is 1.0 points higher. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Gadsden corresponds to $100,346 in Anniston-Oxford.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Gadsden
- 96.4
- Anniston-Oxford
- 96.4
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Gadsden
- 86.7
- Anniston-Oxford
- 87.1
Diff +0.4 RPP
Rents
- Gadsden
- 53.7
- Anniston-Oxford
- 54.7
Diff +1.0 RPP
| Category | Gadsden | Anniston-Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 85.7 | 85.9 | +0.3 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.4 | 0.0 |
| Services | 86.7 | 87.1 | +0.4 |
| Rents | 53.7 | 54.7 | +1.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Gadsden 85.7
Anniston-Oxford 85.9
Goods
Gadsden 96.4
Anniston-Oxford 96.4
Services
Gadsden 86.7
Anniston-Oxford 87.1
Rents
Gadsden 53.7
Anniston-Oxford 54.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Gadsden would need to be in Anniston-Oxford for the same purchasing power:
| In Gadsden | In Anniston-Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,173 | +$173 |
| $75,000 | $75,259 | +$259 |
| $100,000 | $100,346 | +$346 |
| $150,000 | $150,518 | +$518 |
$ in Gadsden = in Anniston-Oxford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (85.7 → 85.9), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Anniston-Oxford more expensive than Gadsden?
Anniston-Oxford is 0.3% more expensive than Gadsden. The overall cost index is 85.9 vs 85.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Anniston-Oxford equals $100K in Gadsden?
A $100,000 salary in Gadsden has the same purchasing power as $100,346 in Anniston-Oxford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Gadsden and Anniston-Oxford?
Rents in Gadsden are indexed at 53.7 while Anniston-Oxford is at 54.7 (national average = 100). Anniston-Oxford has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.