Cost of living comparison
compared to
Lafayette vs. Tuscaloosa Cost of Living Summary
Lafayette is 0.7% cheaper than Tuscaloosa.
Lafayette vs. Tuscaloosa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lafayette instead of Tuscaloosa, you would:
pay 25.4% more for restaurants
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.50
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.38
|
$2.92
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
|
$1.83
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.5% less for groceries
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.67
|
$4.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.24
|
$5.12
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.15
|
$4.36
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.29
|
$5.38
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.47
|
$4.61
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.98
|
$2.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$5.00
|
$2.42
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.10
|
$2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.68
|
$1.46
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of groceries
pay 8.1% less for transportation
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.43
|
$3.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | ?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,359.00
|
$35,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.53
|
$10.50
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of transportation
pay 0.9% more for housing
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.67
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,227.67
|
$1,097.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$969.80
|
$980.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$120.06
|
$169.21
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of housing
pay 23.1% less for childcare
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,083.33
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,000.00
|
$10,230.00
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of childcare
pay 6.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.40
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.44
|
$8.08
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.33
|
$62.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 47.3% more for clothing
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Lafayette
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$41.67
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.50
|
$43.07
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$55.67
|
$86.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$74.00
|
$120.31
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Tuscaloosa vs. Lafayette
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lafayette or Tuscaloosa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.