Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Alabama Cost of Living Summary
United States is 21.1% more expensive than Alabama.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.9% more in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 9.8% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 16.7% more in United States
- Housing
-
pay 35.1% more in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 36.9% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.1% more in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 16.2% more in United States
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in United States are more expensive than in Alabama.
United States vs. Alabama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Alabama, you would:
pay 13.9% more for restaurants
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.75
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.36
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.07
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$2.00
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.8% more for groceries
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.26
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.23
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.69
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.89
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.45
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.76
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$1.38
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 16.7% more for transportation
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.84
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,098.54
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.41
|
$17.61
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 35.1% more for housing
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.63
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.37
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$847.06
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.14
|
$150.19
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 36.9% more for childcare
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,146.13
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,177.33
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 19.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.96
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.95
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.76
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.81
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.07
|
$13.64
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.2% more for clothing
|
Alabama
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$39.67
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.87
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.77
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.17
|
$112.04
|
|
Alabama vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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