Cost of living comparison
compared to
Washington vs. Tuscaloosa Cost of Living Summary
Washington is 2.0 times more expensive than Tuscaloosa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 48.9% more in Washington
- Groceries
-
pay 31.0% more in Washington
- Transportation
-
pay 18.1% more in Washington
- Housing
-
pay 78.6% more in Washington
- Childcare
-
pay 4.9 times more in Washington
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.8% more in Washington
- Clothing
-
pay 88.4% more in Washington
The cost of childcare, clothing, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Washington are more expensive than in Tuscaloosa. Notably, childcare, clothing, and housing are significantly more expensive in Washington.
Washington vs. Tuscaloosa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Washington instead of Tuscaloosa, you would:
pay 48.9% more for restaurants
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.50
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.12
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.62
|
$2.79
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.0% more for groceries
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.48
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.49
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.49
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.33
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.04
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.01
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.64
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of groceries
pay 18.1% more for transportation
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.89
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,000.00
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.77
|
$16.73
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of transportation
pay 78.6% more for housing
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.08
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,116.67
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$789.00
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$127.80
|
$146.54
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of housing
pay 4.9 times more for childcare
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$400.00
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,338.67
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of childcare
pay 48.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.10
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.65
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.33
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$16.75
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 88.4% more for clothing
|
Tuscaloosa
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$32.67
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.50
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$55.67
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$74.00
|
$133.22
|
|
Tuscaloosa vs. Washington - 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
Change currency:
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 Washington or Tuscaloosa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.