Moving to Alabama from Maryland

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maryland to Alabama — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Maryland to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 19.5% cheaper than Maryland. A $75,000 salary in Maryland would need to be roughly $57,159 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Maryland to Alabama.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $57,159

To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 8.6% less

Groceries

pay 19.8% less

Transportation

pay 14.6% less

Housing

pay 15.8% less

Childcare

pay 44.4% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 17.6% less

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Maryland and Alabama stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MD
420
AL
397
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MD
2043
AL
1671

Alabama performs significantly better than Maryland across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

MD
6.0%
AL
9.0%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MD
33.4%
AL
39.6%

Maryland performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

MD
$397,700
AL
$195,100
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MD
$1,662
AL
$963

Alabama performs significantly better than Maryland across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

MD
91.6%
AL
85.9%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MD
32 min
AL
25 min

Maryland generally does better on infrastructure, though Alabama leads in average commute.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MD
3.7%
AL
2.3%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MD
$69,127
AL
$49,225

Maryland generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MD
76.8 yrs
AL
73.2 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

MD
29%
AL
18%

Maryland performs better than Alabama across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

AnnapolisRain: 47.3 in/yr (1201 mm)
68°/50°F

Avg. annual high / low

MontgomeryRain: 53.1 in/yr (1348 mm)
76°/54°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsAnnapolisMontgomery
Jan–Mar50°/33°F (10°/0°C)63°/40°F (17°/4°C)
Apr–Jun77°/57°F (25°/14°C)84°/60°F (29°/16°C)
Jul–Sep86°/69°F (30°/20°C)90°/69°F (32°/21°C)
Oct–Dec59°/42°F (15°/6°C)69°/45°F (21°/7°C)
View all months
MonthAnnapolisMontgomery
Jan44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C)57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C)
Feb48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C)62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C)
Mar57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C)70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C)
Apr68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C)77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C)
May77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C)84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C)
Jun86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C)90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C)
Jul89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C)92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C)
Aug87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C)92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C)
Sep81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C)87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C)
Oct69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C)78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C)
Nov59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C)69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C)
Dec48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°C)60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Maryland?

Generally yes: Alabama runs about 24% cheaper than Maryland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Alabama?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $14,290 in Alabama for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Alabama safe?

Alabama performs significantly better than Maryland across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Maryland?

Maryland performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Maryland?

The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 68°F in Annapolis. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Annapolis gets 47.3 in.

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