Moving to Alabama from Massachusetts
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Massachusetts to Alabama — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 22.1% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $52,914 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Montgomery averages 76°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Massachusetts to Alabama.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $52,914
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 17.6% less
Groceries
pay 12.0% less
Transportation
pay 12.8% less
Housing
pay 31.2% less
Childcare
pay 43.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.7% less
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 Massachusetts and Alabama stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Alabama leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Massachusetts?
Generally yes: Alabama runs about 29% cheaper than Massachusetts 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 $13,228 in Alabama for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alabama safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
