Overall
87.7
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Albany, GA
Cost-of-living indicators for Albany, GA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 87.7
- Overall RPP
- #345
- of 387 metros
- 54.6
- Rents RPP
- $114K
- $100K national buys
Albany ranks #345 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Watertown-Fort Drum
The verdict
Albany costs less than 89% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 87.7, 12.3% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 54.6.
- bottom 11%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.3
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 88.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $114,065 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $87,669.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.2 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2021, when the index jumped 5.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Albany overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.5 |
| 2009 | 85.6 |
| 2010 | 87.3 |
| 2011 | 87.7 |
| 2012 | 87.4 |
| 2013 | 88.1 |
| 2014 | 88.5 |
| 2015 | 88.0 |
| 2016 | 89.3 |
| 2017 | 87.3 |
| 2018 | 86.5 |
| 2019 | 84.2 |
| 2020 | 83.8 |
| 2021 | 89.3 |
| 2022 | 86.1 |
| 2023 | 86.5 |
| 2024 | 87.7 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Albany's overall RPP rose +1.2 points, from 86.5 in 2023 to 87.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 50.0 to 54.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$87,669
in Albany, GA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,835
$75,000 nationally
$65,752
$125,000 nationally
$109,586
$150,000 nationally
$131,504
$200,000 nationally
$175,338
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
93/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
93rd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Albany vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 11% higher than 11% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Albany cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
54.6 RPP
- Services
Services
88.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
87.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.3 RPP
What this shows Albany's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 54.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 88.3. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Albany's cost comes from
Metros near Albany's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Albany (Albany, this metro): goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 54.6
- Watertown: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 53.2
- Hattiesburg: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 60.1
- St. Cloud: goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 65.1
- Farmington: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 56.6
- Brunswick: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 56.3
- Tuscaloosa: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 58.2
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.3
Below avg
Services
88.3
Cheap
Rents
54.6
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Albany's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Albany: rents index at 54.6, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 87.7.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Anniston-Oxford, AL, Rocky Mount, NC, Gadsden, AL. They resemble Albany across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Albany's overall index has stayed within 1.2 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
GA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Albany, GA near the bottom of GA's metros
Among the 14 GA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Albany, GA ranks #4 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Albany, GA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#4 of 14
0th percentile in GA
Services prices
#10 of 14
29th percentile in GA
Rent prices
#14 of 14
0th percentile in GA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within GA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Albany, GA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (87.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (54.6 here).
Other GA Metros
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 100.1 Gainesville, GA 96.8 Savannah, GA 95.2 Hinesville, GA 93.9 Warner Robins, GA 93.8 Athens-Clarke County, GA 93.3
View all GA metros → Cheapest in GA → Most expensive in GA →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Albany, GA's index of 87.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Albany's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Anniston-Oxford, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 87.1 · Rents 54.7 Rocky Mount, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 56.1 Gadsden, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 86.7 · Rents 53.7 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 56.3 St. Joseph, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 88.3 · Rents 55.4 Florence, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.7 · Rents 52.4
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Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Albany
How to read Albany's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $114,065 in Albany. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 54.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Albany head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Albany, GA?
Albany, GA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 87.7, meaning it is 12.3% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.3, services at 88.3, and rents at 54.6. It ranks #345 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Albany, GA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,669 in Albany, GA. Conversely, $100K earned in Albany, GA has the purchasing power of $114,065 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Albany, GA?
Rents in Albany, GA are indexed at 54.6, which is 45.4% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Albany, GA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Albany, GA's overall cost index changed by +1.2 points (from 86.5 to 87.7). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Albany, GA?
The priciest category in Albany, GA is goods at 96.3, 3.7% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 54.6, 45.4% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Albany, GA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Watertown-Fort Drum, Hattiesburg, St. Cloud. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Albany, GA's 87.7.
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.