Overall
- Tuscaloosa
- 87.7
- Mobile
- 88.1
Diff +0.4 RPP
Tuscaloosa vs Mobile
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Mobile is 0.4% more expensive than Tuscaloosa.
0.4% more expensive
Mobile, AL is 0.4% more expensive than Tuscaloosa, AL on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 88.1 vs 87.7). A $100,000 salary in Tuscaloosa buys about the same as $100,429 in Mobile; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 87.7 (Tuscaloosa) vs 88.1 (Mobile)
- $100k in Tuscaloosa ≈ $100,429 purchasing power in Mobile
- Rents drives the gap (+1.9 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair AL:AL 87.7→88.1
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.
Tuscaloosa
87.7
Cost Index
Mobile
88.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Tuscaloosa, AL and Mobile, AL are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Mobile is 1.9 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.
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 Tuscaloosa corresponds to $100,429 in Mobile.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Tuscaloosa
- 96.4
- Mobile
- 96.4
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Tuscaloosa
- 84.4
- Mobile
- 84.2
Diff -0.2 RPP
Rents
- Tuscaloosa
- 58.2
- Mobile
- 60.1
Diff +1.9 RPP
| Category | Tuscaloosa | Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 87.7 | 88.1 | +0.4 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.4 | 0.0 |
| Services | 84.4 | 84.2 | -0.2 |
| Rents | 58.2 | 60.1 | +1.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Tuscaloosa 87.7
Mobile 88.1
Goods
Tuscaloosa 96.4
Mobile 96.4
Services
Tuscaloosa 84.4
Mobile 84.2
Rents
Tuscaloosa 58.2
Mobile 60.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Tuscaloosa would need to be in Mobile for the same purchasing power:
| In Tuscaloosa | In Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,214 | +$214 |
| $75,000 | $75,321 | +$321 |
| $100,000 | $100,429 | +$429 |
| $150,000 | $150,643 | +$643 |
$ in Tuscaloosa = in Mobile
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (87.7 → 88.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mobile more expensive than Tuscaloosa?
Mobile is 0.4% more expensive than Tuscaloosa. The overall cost index is 88.1 vs 87.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Mobile equals $100K in Tuscaloosa?
A $100,000 salary in Tuscaloosa has the same purchasing power as $100,429 in Mobile. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Tuscaloosa and Mobile?
Rents in Tuscaloosa are indexed at 58.2 while Mobile is at 60.1 (national average = 100). Mobile 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.