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Lafayette vs Tuscaloosa

Metro-area medians — Lafayette, LA Metro Area vs Tuscaloosa, AL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Lafayette comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Lafayette and Tuscaloosa are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Tuscaloosa has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 37 versus 51.

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.

Lafayette, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$68,156
real value after local prices
Tuscaloosa, AL
$57,754
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$65,837
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Lafayette leaves you about $2,319/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
Lafayette
Tuscaloosa
Livability (CityLedger)
33/100
31/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
87.2
87.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$69,405
$70,997
Median household income
$60,527
$62,280
Median rent
$968/mo
$1,042/mo
Median home value
$222,100
$239,500
Unemployment
5%
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
29.5%
30.8%
Average commute
26.6 min
24.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
51
37
Avg temperature
69°F
65°F

Choose Lafayette for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
Full Lafayette profile →

Choose Tuscaloosa for

  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Tuscaloosa profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Lafayette and Tuscaloosa on cost, income, size, and education.

Lafayette vs Mobile→Lafayette vs Gulfport→Lafayette vs Jackson→Tuscaloosa vs Columbus→Tuscaloosa vs Las Cruces→Tuscaloosa vs Mobile→

Lafayette vs Tuscaloosa — frequently asked

Is Lafayette cheaper than Tuscaloosa?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Lafayette and Tuscaloosa metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Lafayette or Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa has the higher median household income — $62,280 versus $60,527 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Lafayette or Tuscaloosa?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($69,405 versus $70,997).
Which has cheaper rent, Lafayette or Tuscaloosa?
Lafayette has cheaper rent — a median of $968/mo versus $1,042/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).