Overall
85.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Anniston-Oxford, AL
Cost-of-living indicators for Anniston-Oxford, AL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.9
- Overall RPP
- #366
- of 387 metros
- 54.7
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Anniston ranks #366 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.3 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Lawton
The verdict
Anniston costs less than 95% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.9, 14.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 54.7.
- bottom 5%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.1
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,348 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,949.
Anniston vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 5% higher than 5% 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
Anniston cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
54.7 RPP
- Services
Services
87.1 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.4 RPP
What this shows Anniston's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 54.7 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.1. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Anniston's cost comes from
Metros near Anniston's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Anniston (Anniston, this metro): goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Johnstown: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- Brownsville: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.7
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Fort Smith: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.4
Below avg
Services
87.1
Cheap
Rents
54.7
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Anniston's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Anniston: rents index at 54.7, 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 85.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Gadsden, AL, Albany, GA, Brunswick-St. Simons, GA. They resemble Anniston 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, Anniston's overall index has fallen by 2.3 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.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$85,949
in Anniston-Oxford, AL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,975
$75,000 nationally
$64,462
$125,000 nationally
$107,436
$150,000 nationally
$128,924
$200,000 nationally
$171,898
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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Anniston's overall RPP fell -0.2 points, from 86.2 in 2023 to 85.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 49.7 to 54.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 2.3 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2010, when the index jumped 5.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Anniston overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 88.2 |
| 2009 | 83.5 |
| 2010 | 88.8 |
| 2011 | 90.9 |
| 2012 | 90.8 |
| 2013 | 90.4 |
| 2014 | 89.7 |
| 2015 | 91.1 |
| 2016 | 90.8 |
| 2017 | 88.6 |
| 2018 | 85.1 |
| 2019 | 87.6 |
| 2020 | 85.8 |
| 2021 | 83.7 |
| 2022 | 84.2 |
| 2023 | 86.2 |
| 2024 | 85.9 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Anniston'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.
Gadsden, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 86.7 · Rents 53.7 Albany, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.3 · Rents 54.6 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.3 · Rents 56.3 Rocky Mount, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 88.4 · Rents 56.1 Florence, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.7 · Rents 52.4 St. Joseph, MO-KS
Goods 94.2 · Services 88.3 · Rents 55.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Anniston-Oxford, AL's index of 85.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
AL-relative analysis
Goods prices places Anniston-Oxford, AL near the bottom of AL's metros
Among the 12 AL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Anniston-Oxford, AL ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Anniston-Oxford, AL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
0th percentile in AL
Services prices
#1 of 12
92nd percentile in AL
Rent prices
#9 of 12
25th percentile in AL
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 AL only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Anniston-Oxford, AL: 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 (85.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (54.7 here).
Other AL Metros
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 94.7 Huntsville, AL 93.1 Birmingham, AL 91.6 Montgomery, AL 89.7 Mobile, AL 88.1 Auburn-Opelika, AL 87.9
View all AL metros → Cheapest in AL → Most expensive in AL →
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.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Anniston
How to read Anniston'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 $116,348 in Anniston. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 54.7, 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 Anniston 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 Anniston-Oxford, AL?
Anniston-Oxford, AL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.9, meaning it is 14.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.4, services at 87.1, and rents at 54.7. It ranks #366 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Anniston-Oxford, AL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,949 in Anniston-Oxford, AL. Conversely, $100K earned in Anniston-Oxford, AL has the purchasing power of $116,348 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Anniston-Oxford, AL?
Rents in Anniston-Oxford, AL are indexed at 54.7, which is 45.3% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Anniston-Oxford, AL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Anniston-Oxford, AL's overall cost index changed by -2.3 points (from 88.2 to 85.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Anniston-Oxford, AL?
The priciest category in Anniston-Oxford, AL is goods at 96.4, 3.6% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 54.7, 45.3% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Anniston-Oxford, AL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Lawton, Johnstown, Brownsville-Harlingen. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Anniston-Oxford, AL's 85.9.
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.