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Montgomery vs Tuscaloosa

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

Montgomery comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Montgomery and Tuscaloosa cost about the same to live in, but Montgomery households earn about 7% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Montgomery.

Their widest everyday difference: Montgomery has the tighter job market — 3.5% unemployment versus 6.5%.

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.

Montgomery, AL
$57,754
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$64,398
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, Tuscaloosa leaves you about $1,439/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
Montgomery
Tuscaloosa
Livability (CityLedger)
47/100
31/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
89.7
87.7
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$74,381
$70,997
Median household income
$66,706
$62,280
Median rent
$1,141/mo
$1,042/mo
Median home value
$220,500
$239,500
Unemployment
3.5%
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
33.2%
30.8%
Average commute
24.8 min
24.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
42
37
Avg temperature
66°F
65°F

Choose Montgomery for

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

Choose Tuscaloosa for

  • + Median rent
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Tuscaloosa profile →

More comparisons

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

Montgomery vs Jackson→Montgomery vs Lynchburg→Montgomery vs Mobile→Tuscaloosa vs Columbus→Tuscaloosa vs Las Cruces→Tuscaloosa vs Mobile→

Montgomery vs Tuscaloosa — frequently asked

Is Montgomery cheaper than Tuscaloosa?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Montgomery and Tuscaloosa metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Montgomery or Tuscaloosa?
Montgomery has the higher median household income — $66,706 versus $62,280 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Montgomery or Tuscaloosa?
A paycheck stretches further in Montgomery. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $74,381 there versus $70,997 in Tuscaloosa.
Which has cheaper rent, Montgomery or Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa has cheaper rent — a median of $1,042/mo versus $1,141/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).