Before you decide to relocate to Alabama, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.
These are the places in Alabama that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2020-2024 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 105 places in Alabama with more than 5,000 people.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Alabama for 2026.
$201,479 median income · $1,028,341 median home · #1 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Jefferson County, Alabama
Mountain Brook is a town in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States and an upper-middle-class suburb of Birmingham. Its estimated 2015 population is 20,691. It is one of the state’s most affluent places.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$134,369 median income · $561,213 median home · #3 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Vestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of the city of Birmingham. As of the 2010 census, its population was 34,033, up from 24,476 in 2000. It moved up from the fifth largest city in Jefferson County in 2000 to the third largest in 2010, behind Birmingham and Hoover.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,485 median income · $558,046 median home · #4 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Jefferson County, Alabama
Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain due south of the city center. Its estimated 2015 population is 25,708.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,736 median income · $678,809 median home · #2 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,274 median income · $459,930 median home · #5 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 15,326. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. In 2016, Fairhope was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,275 median income · $394,833 median home · #9 home prices in Alabama
Located in
St. Clair County, Alabama
Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its estimated 2015 population was 21,023.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$78,188 median income · $450,266 median home · #6 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,253 median income · $437,228 median home · #7 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. The largest suburb around Birmingham, the population of the city was 84,848 as of the 2015 US Census estimate. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area and is also included in the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL Combined Statistical Area. Hoover-s neighborhoods and planned communities are located along the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,337 median income · $384,778 median home · #10 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Shelby County, Alabama
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,346 median income · $379,955 median home · #11 home prices in Alabama
Located in
Baldwin County, Alabama
Spanish Fort is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 6,798. It is a suburb of Mobile and is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Alabama’s statewide median.
Alabama statewide median: $236,453
Alabama statewide median: $63,999
On the map
Mapping the most expensive places in Alabama
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Heart of Dixie For 2026
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Alabama are how much money you make and how much you have to spend to live there.
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing, it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Alabama to figure out which is the most expensive.
You are left with a “Cost of Living Index” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index to rank all of the 105 places in Alabama that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Alabama according to the data is Mountain Brook. We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive places to live in Alabama.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In Alabama
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain Brook | 162 | 22,029 | $201,479 | $1,028,341 | 5.1x |
| 2 | Vestavia Hills | 125 | 38,616 | $134,369 | $561,213 | 4.2x |
| 3 | Homewood | 124 | 27,829 | $94,485 | $558,046 | 5.9x |
| 4 | Orange Beach | 124 | 8,407 | $97,736 | $678,809 | 6.9x |
| 5 | Fairhope | 119 | 24,190 | $94,274 | $459,930 | 4.9x |
| 6 | Trussville | 112 | 26,673 | $123,275 | $394,833 | 3.2x |
| 7 | Gulf Shores | 112 | 16,401 | $78,188 | $450,266 | 5.8x |
| 8 | Hoover | 109 | 92,642 | $109,253 | $437,228 | 4.0x |
| 9 | Chelsea | 107 | 16,260 | $115,337 | $384,778 | 3.3x |
| 10 | Spanish Fort | 106 | 10,662 | $99,346 | $379,955 | 3.8x |
| 11 | Springville | 106 | 5,081 | $84,231 | $321,266 | 3.8x |
| 12 | Madison | 105 | 60,106 | $134,655 | $374,497 | 2.8x |
| 13 | Auburn | 104 | 80,594 | $63,668 | $412,908 | 6.5x |
| 14 | Foley | 104 | 24,026 | $66,336 | $301,570 | 4.5x |
| 15 | Daphne | 102 | 29,453 | $87,250 | $326,736 | 3.7x |
| 16 | Helena | 102 | 21,769 | $115,139 | $363,042 | 3.2x |
| 17 | Alabaster | 100 | 33,917 | $91,357 | $303,750 | 3.3x |
| 18 | Pelham | 100 | 24,827 | $101,094 | $323,686 | 3.2x |
| 19 | Gardendale | 100 | 16,534 | $82,192 | $266,523 | 3.2x |
| 20 | Prattville | 99 | 39,482 | $81,337 | $262,195 | 3.2x |
| 21 | Tuscaloosa | 98 | 111,038 | $51,464 | $228,947 | 4.4x |
| 22 | Calera | 98 | 17,714 | $87,194 | $254,701 | 2.9x |
| 23 | Pell City | 98 | 13,587 | $68,638 | $276,450 | 4.0x |
| 24 | Northport | 97 | 31,218 | $80,913 | $266,846 | 3.3x |
| 25 | Clay | 97 | 10,273 | $81,920 | $250,060 | 3.1x |
| 26 | Fultondale | 97 | 9,384 | $73,575 | $228,868 | 3.1x |
| 27 | Satsuma | 97 | 6,822 | $101,042 | $237,699 | 2.4x |
| 28 | Huntsville | 96 | 222,791 | $74,714 | $287,569 | 3.8x |
| 29 | Irondale | 96 | 13,464 | $72,343 | $289,627 | 4.0x |
| 30 | Pleasant Grove | 96 | 9,442 | $70,317 | $225,144 | 3.2x |
| 31 | Guntersville | 96 | 8,916 | $67,929 | $301,985 | 4.4x |
| 32 | Enterprise | 95 | 29,505 | $73,125 | $202,764 | 2.8x |
| 33 | Athens | 95 | 29,002 | $69,922 | $307,881 | 4.4x |
| 34 | Leeds | 95 | 12,028 | $69,737 | $249,223 | 3.6x |
| 35 | Moody | 94 | 13,488 | $86,627 | $259,875 | 3.0x |
| 36 | Rainbow City | 94 | 10,284 | $56,398 | $247,414 | 4.4x |
| 37 | Pinson | 94 | 7,832 | $76,410 | $216,703 | 2.8x |
| 38 | Oxford | 93 | 22,063 | $74,268 | $195,937 | 2.6x |
| 39 | Troy | 93 | 17,716 | $50,717 | $181,784 | 3.6x |
| 40 | Millbrook | 93 | 17,189 | $70,313 | $218,705 | 3.1x |
| 41 | Lincoln | 93 | 7,305 | $57,145 | $229,657 | 4.0x |
| 42 | Semmes | 93 | 5,626 | $66,417 | $238,190 | 3.6x |
| 43 | Smiths Station | 93 | 5,496 | $64,669 | $280,274 | 4.3x |
| 44 | Glencoe | 93 | 5,353 | $68,517 | $207,535 | 3.0x |
| 45 | Southside | 92 | 9,483 | $76,487 | $269,901 | 3.5x |
| 46 | Montevallo | 92 | 7,556 | $56,626 | $248,376 | 4.4x |
| 47 | Wetumpka | 92 | 7,437 | $57,763 | $278,368 | 4.8x |
| 48 | Monroeville | 92 | 5,802 | $32,513 | $139,433 | 4.3x |
| 49 | Headland | 92 | 5,217 | $79,063 | $224,992 | 2.8x |
| 50 | Dothan | 91 | 71,514 | $55,792 | $203,928 | 3.7x |
| 51 | Saraland | 91 | 16,404 | $61,509 | $233,993 | 3.8x |
| 52 | Hartselle | 91 | 15,847 | $76,290 | $246,208 | 3.2x |
| 53 | Jasper | 91 | 14,442 | $66,238 | $168,864 | 2.5x |
| 54 | Robertsdale | 91 | 7,194 | $59,152 | $267,052 | 4.5x |
| 55 | Mobile | 90 | 203,416 | $53,558 | $194,564 | 3.6x |
| 56 | Birmingham | 90 | 198,173 | $46,051 | $135,870 | 3.0x |
| 57 | Opelika | 90 | 32,820 | $65,004 | $304,313 | 4.7x |
| 58 | Cullman | 90 | 19,319 | $61,224 | $261,636 | 4.3x |
| 59 | Muscle Shoals | 90 | 16,951 | $75,894 | $260,072 | 3.4x |
| 60 | Fort Payne | 90 | 14,927 | $47,479 | $203,035 | 4.3x |
| 61 | Clanton | 90 | 8,958 | $47,520 | $217,129 | 4.6x |
| 62 | Atmore | 90 | 8,334 | $38,862 | $154,610 | 4.0x |
| 63 | Rainsville | 90 | 5,702 | $74,046 | $227,373 | 3.1x |
| 64 | Montgomery | 89 | 197,494 | $56,811 | $151,228 | 2.7x |
| 65 | Anniston | 89 | 21,271 | $46,668 | $147,195 | 3.2x |
| 66 | Jacksonville | 89 | 14,437 | $51,814 | $211,263 | 4.1x |
| 67 | Arab | 89 | 8,679 | $64,333 | $241,411 | 3.8x |
| 68 | Oneonta | 89 | 6,971 | $53,980 | $213,540 | 4.0x |
| 69 | Demopolis | 89 | 6,908 | $34,802 | $152,101 | 4.4x |
| 70 | Roanoke | 89 | 5,336 | $47,105 | $148,369 | 3.1x |
| 71 | Brewton | 89 | 5,186 | $50,721 | $149,232 | 2.9x |
| 72 | Florence | 88 | 41,701 | $52,174 | $210,214 | 4.0x |
| 73 | Phenix City | 88 | 38,499 | $50,053 | $207,716 | 4.1x |
| 74 | Albertville | 88 | 22,813 | $56,099 | $214,034 | 3.8x |
| 75 | Center Point | 88 | 15,914 | $56,417 | $152,329 | 2.7x |
| 76 | Ozark | 88 | 14,327 | $48,944 | $143,766 | 2.9x |
| 77 | Eufaula | 88 | 12,584 | $47,392 | $163,743 | 3.5x |
| 78 | Valley | 88 | 10,277 | $51,661 | $177,525 | 3.4x |
| 79 | Greenville | 88 | 7,163 | $40,822 | $116,098 | 2.8x |
| 80 | Decatur | 87 | 57,361 | $61,563 | $224,155 | 3.6x |
| 81 | Hueytown | 87 | 16,414 | $62,784 | $163,400 | 2.6x |
| 82 | Scottsboro | 87 | 15,712 | $53,929 | $213,721 | 4.0x |
| 83 | Tarrant | 87 | 5,925 | $42,070 | $77,451 | 1.8x |
| 84 | Midfield | 87 | 5,045 | $52,755 | $82,421 | 1.6x |
| 85 | Bessemer | 86 | 25,400 | $39,613 | $133,911 | 3.4x |
| 86 | Alexander City | 86 | 14,606 | $47,022 | $202,613 | 4.3x |
| 87 | Sylacauga | 86 | 12,309 | $50,017 | $166,281 | 3.3x |
| 88 | Sheffield | 86 | 9,340 | $39,733 | $133,841 | 3.4x |
| 89 | Tuscumbia | 86 | 9,115 | $59,143 | $196,275 | 3.3x |
| 90 | Bay Minette | 86 | 8,295 | $44,523 | $212,243 | 4.8x |
| 91 | Tallassee | 86 | 5,134 | $66,752 | $192,630 | 2.9x |
| 92 | Russellville | 85 | 10,799 | $58,231 | $178,141 | 3.1x |
| 93 | Fairfield | 85 | 9,728 | $48,456 | $93,495 | 1.9x |
| 94 | Andalusia | 85 | 8,766 | $42,611 | $170,025 | 4.0x |
| 95 | Chickasaw | 85 | 6,332 | $46,559 | $107,053 | 2.3x |
| 96 | Selma | 84 | 17,057 | $33,197 | $79,209 | 2.4x |
| 97 | Boaz | 84 | 10,814 | $49,846 | $209,918 | 4.2x |
| 98 | Hamilton | 84 | 6,922 | $54,871 | $172,641 | 3.1x |
| 99 | Lanett | 84 | 6,814 | $42,357 | $123,281 | 2.9x |
| 100 | Opp | 84 | 6,709 | $41,347 | $118,904 | 2.9x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 105 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Alabama For 2026
Well, there you have it, the places in Alabama that have the highest cost of living, with Mountain Brook ranking as the most expensive city in the Heart of Dixie.
The most expensive cities in Alabama are Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Orange Beach, Fairhope, Trussville, Gulf Shores, Hoover, Chelsea, and Spanish Fort.
