Overall
87.7
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Tuscaloosa, AL
Cost-of-living indicators for Tuscaloosa, AL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 87.7
- Overall RPP
- #341
- of 387 metros
- 58.2
- Rents RPP
- $114K
- $100K national buys
Tuscaloosa ranks #341 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 2.0 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Brunswick-St. Simons
The verdict
Tuscaloosa costs less than 88% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 87.7, 12.3% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 58.2.
- bottom 12%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 84.4
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $113,996 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $87,722.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Tuscaloosa's overall RPP fell -1.4 points, from 89.1 in 2023 to 87.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 89.9 to 84.4. 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 2.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 6.6 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Tuscaloosa overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 89.7 |
| 2009 | 89.2 |
| 2010 | 90.4 |
| 2011 | 89.5 |
| 2012 | 90.6 |
| 2013 | 90.2 |
| 2014 | 90.6 |
| 2015 | 89.5 |
| 2016 | 90.9 |
| 2017 | 92.4 |
| 2018 | 85.8 |
| 2019 | 88.5 |
| 2020 | 87.1 |
| 2021 | 88.0 |
| 2022 | 87.2 |
| 2023 | 89.1 |
| 2024 | 87.7 |
Tuscaloosa vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
88 Bottom 12% higher than 12% 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
Tuscaloosa cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
58.2 RPP
- Services
Services
84.4 RPP
- Overall
Overall
87.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.4 RPP
What this shows Tuscaloosa's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 58.2 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 84.4. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Tuscaloosa's cost comes from
Metros near Tuscaloosa's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa, this metro): goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 58.2
- Brunswick: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 56.3
- Farmington: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 56.6
- Watertown: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 53.2
- Albany: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 54.6
- Terre Haute: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 51.9
- Hattiesburg: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 60.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.4
Below avg
Services
84.4
Cheap
Rents
58.2
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Tuscaloosa's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Tuscaloosa: rents index at 58.2, 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 Decatur, AL, Mobile, AL, Sioux City, IA-NE-SD. They resemble Tuscaloosa 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, Tuscaloosa's overall index has fallen by 2.0 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:
$87,722
in Tuscaloosa, AL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$43,861
$75,000 nationally
$65,791
$125,000 nationally
$109,652
$150,000 nationally
$131,583
$200,000 nationally
$175,444
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
86/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
86th 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 Tuscaloosa, AL near the bottom of AL's metros
Among the 12 AL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Tuscaloosa, AL ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Tuscaloosa, AL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
0th percentile in AL
Services prices
#6 of 12
50th percentile in AL
Rent prices
#7 of 12
42nd 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 Tuscaloosa, 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 (87.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (58.2 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 Tuscaloosa'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.
Decatur, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 84.7 · Rents 58.1 Mobile, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 84.2 · Rents 60.1 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Goods 94.0 · Services 82.7 · Rents 57.8 Kokomo, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.3 · Rents 59.3 Muncie, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.4 · Rents 57.5 Greenville, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 87.3 · Rents 57.3
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Tuscaloosa, AL's index of 87.7.
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 Tuscaloosa
How to read Tuscaloosa'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 $113,996 in Tuscaloosa. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 58.2, 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 Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa, AL?
Tuscaloosa, AL 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 96.4, services at 84.4, and rents at 58.2. It ranks #341 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Tuscaloosa, AL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $87,722 in Tuscaloosa, AL. Conversely, $100K earned in Tuscaloosa, AL has the purchasing power of $113,996 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Tuscaloosa, AL?
Rents in Tuscaloosa, AL are indexed at 58.2, which is 41.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Tuscaloosa, AL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Tuscaloosa, AL's overall cost index changed by -2.0 points (from 89.7 to 87.7). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Tuscaloosa, AL?
The priciest category in Tuscaloosa, 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 58.2, 41.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Tuscaloosa, AL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Brunswick-St. Simons, Farmington, Watertown-Fort Drum. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Tuscaloosa, AL'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.