Moving to Alabama from Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Virginia to Alabama? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Virginia to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 20.1% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $60,000 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Virginia and Alabama.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $60,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 11.3% less
Groceries
pay 19.4% less
Transportation
pay 8.2% less
Housing
pay 28.2% less
Childcare
pay 32.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 14.4% 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.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Alabama cost about 17% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Alabama compared to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia 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
Virginia 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 Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia 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
Virginia 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
Virginia performs better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Virginia?
On average Alabama is about 20% less expensive than Virginia, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Budget about $15,000 for 3 months in Alabama (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alabama safe?
Virginia performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Virginia?
Virginia performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
