Overall
Alabama feels cheaper overall
Alabama has the lower cost-of-living index, beating Florida by 11.9 points on the overall affordability baseline.
View detailed comparison
Cost of Living Comparison
Quality of Life
Alabama vs Florida: Cost of Living
Alabama is cheaper overall by 11.9 cost-of-living points, but Florida has no state income tax, but Alabama has lower median home values.
Alabama
AL • South
88.6
Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Florida
FL • South
100.5
Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Visual Comparison
Alabama
88.6
Florida
100.5
Difference: 11.9 points — Alabama leads.
Overview
A fast-reading view of the tradeoffs behind the raw cost numbers.
Living Costs
Housing
pay about 2.0x more for a home
Alabama has the lower median home value, while buying in Florida costs materially more at the median.
View detailed comparisonRent Pressure
Alabama puts less pressure on a median paycheck
Median rent takes a smaller share of household income in Alabama than in Florida, which makes monthly budgeting easier.
View detailed comparisonTaxes
Florida has no state income tax
Florida gives residents a cleaner paycheck-level tax advantage, while Alabama still taxes income at the state level.
View detailed comparisonCost Stack
Alabama
Overall Affordability
Cost of living index
88.6
Regional price parity
87.2
Regular gas price
$3.840/gal
Electricity price
16.06 c/kWh
Housing
Median gross rent
$925/mo
Median home value
$174,600
Owner costs with mortgage
-
Owner costs without mortgage
-
Taxes
State income tax
5.00%
State sales tax
4.00%
Property tax
0.38%
Income
Median household income
$54,943
Income after median rent
$3,654
Minimum wage
$7.25/hr
Laws
Gun laws
Permissive
Alcohol system
Control State
Marijuana status
Medical
Florida
Overall Affordability
Cost of living index
100.5
Regional price parity
100.7
Regular gas price
$4.198/gal
Electricity price
15.92 c/kWh
Housing
Median gross rent
$1,444/mo
Median home value
$348,000
Owner costs with mortgage
-
Owner costs without mortgage
-
Taxes
State income tax
None (0%)
State sales tax
6.00%
Property tax
0.76%
Income
Median household income
$67,917
Income after median rent
$4,216
Minimum wage
$14.00/hr
Laws
Gun laws
Permissive
Alcohol system
License State
Marijuana status
Medical
What Stands Out
- Alabama has lower median home values.
- Florida has no state income tax.
- Alabama has the lower overall cost index.
- Florida has the higher median household income.
Affordability Ratios
Related Pages
What This Means
Alabama vs Florida: Cost of Living in context
Alabama has a cost of living of 88.6, compared with 100.5 in Florida. Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Alabama
88.6
Florida
100.5
Difference
11.9 points
People Also Ask
Alabama vs Florida Cost of Living — Common Questions
Q What is Alabama's cost of living?
Alabama's cost of living is 88.6.
Q What is Florida's cost of living?
Florida's cost of living is 100.5.
Q Which state has a lower cost of living — Alabama or Florida?
Alabama is cheaper overall by 11.9 cost-of-living points, but Florida has no state income tax, but Alabama has lower median home values.
More Comparisons: Alabama vs Florida
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Sources: Core demographic data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census, with land area from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files. Income, housing, affordability, and tax fields are maintained in our comparison dataset, with minimum wage data from the U.S. Department of Labor, gas prices from AAA, and electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Political control and election fields use 2024 presidential results together with National Conference of State Legislatures data. Gun-law labels use the Giffords scorecard, alcohol system data comes from NABCA, and marijuana status uses NCSL's state cannabis laws tracker.