Moving to Alabama from Wisconsin
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Wisconsin to Alabama — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Wisconsin to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 0.8% cheaper than Wisconsin. A $75,000 salary in Wisconsin would need to be roughly $74,400 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Montgomery averages 76°F vs 56°F in Madison, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Wisconsin to Alabama.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $74,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 4.6% more
Groceries
pay 2.0% more
Transportation
pay 3.4% more
Housing
pay 4.8% less
Childcare
pay 15.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.0% more
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 2% more than cities in Wisconsin.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Wisconsin to Alabama.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Wisconsin performs better than Alabama across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin 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 | Madison | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 33°/17°F (1°/-8°C) | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/46°F (20°/8°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/57°F (25°/14°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 44°/28°F (7°/-2°C) | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madison | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26°/11°F (-3.1°/-11.6°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| Feb | 31°/15°F (-0.5°/-9.4°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Mar | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-4.0°C) | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) |
| May | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.4°C) | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 79°/59°F (26.3°/15.0°C) | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 72°/50°F (22.1°/10.1°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Oct | 59°/39°F (14.9°/3.8°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Nov | 44°/28°F (6.7°/-2.1°C) | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 30°/16°F (-1.0°/-8.9°C) | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Wisconsin?
Costs in Alabama and Wisconsin are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,600 in Alabama on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Alabama safe?
Wisconsin performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Wisconsin?
Wisconsin performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Wisconsin?
The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 56°F in Madison. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Madison gets 34.5 in.
