Overall
- Tuscaloosa
- 87.7
- Boise City
- 98.4
Diff +10.7 RPP
Tuscaloosa vs Boise City
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Boise City is 12.2% more expensive than Tuscaloosa.
12.2% more expensive
Boise City, ID is 12.2% more expensive than Tuscaloosa, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 87.7). A $100,000 salary in Tuscaloosa buys about the same as $112,162 in Boise City; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.7 (Tuscaloosa) vs 98.4 (Boise City)
- $100k in Tuscaloosa ≈ $112,162 purchasing power in Boise City
- Rents drives the gap (+47.3 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:ID 87.7→98.4
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE AL × ID
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Tuscaloosa
- 96.4
- Boise City
- 96.2
Diff -0.2 RPP
Services
- Tuscaloosa
- 84.4
- Boise City
- 70.7
Diff -13.7 RPP
Rents
- Tuscaloosa
- 58.2
- Boise City
- 105.6
Diff +47.3 RPP
| Category | Tuscaloosa | Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.7 | 98.4 | +10.7 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.2 | -0.2 |
| Services | 84.4 | 70.7 | -13.7 |
| Rents | 58.2 | 105.6 | +47.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Tuscaloosa 87.7
Boise City 98.4
Goods
Tuscaloosa 96.4
Boise City 96.2
Services
Tuscaloosa 84.4
Boise City 70.7
Rents
Tuscaloosa 58.2
Boise City 105.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Boise City is 47.3 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Tuscaloosa, AL and Boise City, ID sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 10.7 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
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.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
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 Tuscaloosa corresponds to $112,162 in Boise City.
Tuscaloosa
87.7
Cost Index
Boise City
98.4
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Tuscaloosa would need to be in Boise City for the same purchasing power:
| In Tuscaloosa | In Boise City | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $56,081 | +$6,081 |
| $75,000 | $84,122 | +$9,122 |
| $100,000 | $112,162 | +$12,162 |
| $150,000 | $168,243 | +$18,243 |
$ in Tuscaloosa = in Boise City
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.7 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boise City more expensive than Tuscaloosa?
Boise City is 12.2% more expensive than Tuscaloosa. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 87.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Boise City equals $100K in Tuscaloosa?
A $100,000 salary in Tuscaloosa has the same purchasing power as $112,162 in Boise City. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Tuscaloosa and Boise City?
Rents in Tuscaloosa are indexed at 58.2 while Boise City is at 105.6 (national average = 100). Boise City 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.