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Alexandria vs Florence

Metro-area medians — Alexandria, LA Metro Area vs Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Florence comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 6 clearly-decided measures.

Alexandria and Florence cost about the same to live in, but Florence households earn about 20% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Florence.

Their widest everyday difference: Florence is more educated — 30.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 24.1%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Alexandria, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$69,368
real value after local prices
Florence, AL
$57,754
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$68,092
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Alexandria leaves you about $1,276/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Alexandria
Florence
Livability (CityLedger)
31/100
47/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
85.7
84.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$65,249
$78,854
Median household income
$55,909
$66,882
Median rent
$899/mo
$877/mo
Median home value
$165,800
$218,600
Unemployment
4.5%
4.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
24.1%
30.3%
Average commute
22.3 min
22.3 min
Air quality (median AQI)
39
—
Avg temperature
67°F
61°F

Choose Alexandria for

  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
Full Alexandria profile →

Choose Florence for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Florence profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Alexandria and Florence on cost, income, size, and education.

Alexandria vs Florence→Alexandria vs Terre Haute→Alexandria vs Monroe→Florence vs Jefferson City→Florence vs Johnson City→Florence vs Jackson→

Alexandria vs Florence — frequently asked

Is Alexandria cheaper than Florence?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Alexandria and Florence metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Alexandria or Florence?
Florence has the higher median household income — $66,882 versus $55,909 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 20% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Alexandria or Florence?
A paycheck stretches further in Florence. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,854 there versus $65,249 in Alexandria.
Which has cheaper rent, Alexandria or Florence?
Florence has cheaper rent — a median of $877/mo versus $899/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).