Overall
83.8
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Dothan, AL
Cost-of-living indicators for Dothan, AL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 83.8
- Overall RPP
- #385
- of 387 metros
- 46.9
- Rents RPP
- $119K
- $100K national buys
Dothan ranks #385 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.9 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Eagle Pass
The verdict
Dothan costs less than 99% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 83.8, 16.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 46.9.
- bottom 1%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 84.3
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $119,285 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $83,833.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Dothan's overall RPP fell -3.5 points, from 87.4 in 2023 to 83.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 56.3 to 46.9. 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 2.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 3.5 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Dothan overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 86.8 |
| 2009 | 85.7 |
| 2010 | 87.8 |
| 2011 | 88.1 |
| 2012 | 88.6 |
| 2013 | 89.1 |
| 2014 | 88.1 |
| 2015 | 87.3 |
| 2016 | 88.3 |
| 2017 | 86.3 |
| 2018 | 84.9 |
| 2019 | 85.8 |
| 2020 | 86.5 |
| 2021 | 86.1 |
| 2022 | 85.3 |
| 2023 | 87.4 |
| 2024 | 83.8 |
Dothan vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
84 Bottom 1% higher than 1% 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
Dothan cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
46.9 RPP
- Services
Services
84.3 RPP
- Overall
Overall
83.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.4 RPP
What this shows Dothan's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 46.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 84.3. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Dothan's cost comes from
Metros near Dothan's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Dothan (Dothan, this metro): goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 46.9
- Eagle Pass: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 53.7
- Texarkana: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 49.9
- Monroe: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 42.8
- Enid: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 51.4
- Hammond: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 48.2
- Shreveport: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 52.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.4
Below avg
Services
84.3
Cheap
Rents
46.9
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Dothan's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Dothan: rents index at 46.9, 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 83.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL, Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Terre Haute, IN. They resemble Dothan 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, Dothan's overall index has fallen by 2.9 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:
$83,833
in Dothan, AL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$41,917
$75,000 nationally
$62,875
$125,000 nationally
$104,791
$150,000 nationally
$125,750
$200,000 nationally
$167,666
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
99/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
99th 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.
AL-relative analysis
Goods prices places Dothan, AL near the bottom of AL's metros
Among the 12 AL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Dothan, AL ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Dothan, AL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
0th percentile in AL
Services prices
#7 of 12
42nd percentile in AL
Rent prices
#12 of 12
0th 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 Dothan, 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 (83.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (46.9 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 →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Dothan'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.
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 85.8 · Rents 47.7 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.9 · Rents 51.3 Terre Haute, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.6 · Rents 51.9 Texarkana, TX-AR
Goods 93.7 · Services 79.3 · Rents 49.9 Florence, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 87.7 · Rents 52.4 Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 89.0 · Rents 51.7
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Dothan, AL's index of 83.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Dothan
How to read Dothan'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 $119,285 in Dothan. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 46.9, 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 Dothan 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 Dothan, AL?
Dothan, AL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 83.8, meaning it is 16.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.4, services at 84.3, and rents at 46.9. It ranks #385 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Dothan, AL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $83,833 in Dothan, AL. Conversely, $100K earned in Dothan, AL has the purchasing power of $119,285 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Dothan, AL?
Rents in Dothan, AL are indexed at 46.9, which is 53.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Dothan, AL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Dothan, AL's overall cost index changed by -2.9 points (from 86.8 to 83.8). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Dothan, AL?
The priciest category in Dothan, 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 46.9, 53.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Dothan, AL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Eagle Pass, Texarkana, Monroe. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Dothan, AL's 83.8.
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.