Is Florence cheaper than Florence?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Florence and Florence metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Florence or Florence?

Florence has the higher median household income — $66,882 versus $56,475 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 18% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Florence or Florence?

A paycheck stretches further in Florence. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,854 there versus $65,083 in Florence.

Which has cheaper rent, Florence or Florence?

Florence has cheaper rent — a median of $877/mo versus $1,023/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Florence vs Florence

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

Florence comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Florence and Florence cost about the same to live in, but Florence households earn about 18% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Florence.

Their widest everyday difference: Florence has the tighter job market — 4.7% unemployment versus 6.6%.

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.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Florence, AL

$57,754

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$68,092

real value after local prices

Florence, SC

$58,400

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$67,301

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Florence leaves you about $790/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

Florence

Livability (CityLedger)

47/100

23/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

84.8

86.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$78,854

$65,083

Median household income

$66,882

$56,475

Median rent

$877/mo

$1,023/mo

Median home value

$218,600

$196,600

Unemployment

4.7%

6.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

30.3%

24.2%

Average commute

22.3 min

22.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

61°F

65°F

Choose Florence for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median rent
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Florence profile →

Choose Florence for

+ Median home value

Full Florence profile →

More comparisons

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

Florence vs Jefferson City→Florence vs Johnson City→Florence vs Jackson→Florence vs Lake Charles→Florence vs Fort Smith→Florence vs Rocky Mount→

Florence vs Florence — frequently asked

Is Florence cheaper than Florence?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Florence and Florence metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Florence or Florence?: Florence has the higher median household income — $66,882 versus $56,475 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 18% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Florence or Florence?: A paycheck stretches further in Florence. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $78,854 there versus $65,083 in Florence.
Which has cheaper rent, Florence or Florence?: Florence has cheaper rent — a median of $877/mo versus $1,023/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).