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Tuscaloosa, AL vs Los Angeles, CA

Moving from Tuscaloosa to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($223,201 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.

Tuscaloosa vs Los Angeles at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Tuscaloosa, AL Los Angeles, CA Cost-of-living index Tuscaloosa, AL — Cost-of-living index: 89 89 Los Angeles, CA — Cost-of-living index: 115 115 Median home price Tuscaloosa, AL — Median home price: $223k $223k Los Angeles, CA — Median home price: $969k $969k Price per sqft Tuscaloosa, AL — Price per sqft: $109 $109 Los Angeles, CA — Price per sqft: $646 $646 Median rent Tuscaloosa, AL — Median rent: $1,485 $1,485 Los Angeles, CA — Median rent: $2,909 $2,909 Combined sales tax Tuscaloosa, AL — Combined sales tax: 9.3% 9.3% Los Angeles, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Tuscaloosa, AL — Property tax rate: 0.33% 0.33% Los Angeles, CA — Property tax rate: 0.69% 0.69% Violent crime /100k Tuscaloosa, AL — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Los Angeles, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Tuscaloosa, AL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.4 17.4 Los Angeles, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Tuscaloosa, AL — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Los Angeles, CA — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Avg summer high °F Tuscaloosa, AL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° Los Angeles, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Tuscaloosa, AL — Avg winter low °F: 33° 33° Los Angeles, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Tuscaloosa, AL, you'd need about $128,777 in Los Angeles, CA (+$28,777).

Livability — Tuscaloosa, AL: 74 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,591 sqft in Tuscaloosa vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($109 vs $646 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryTuscaloosa, ALLos Angeles, CADifference
Housing $17,820 $34,908 +$17,088
Groceries $4,729 $5,354 +$625
Transportation $3,465 $5,125 +$1,660
Utilities $1,884 $3,804 +$1,920
Insurance $2,400 $1,500 −$900
Taxes $8,901 $21,708 +$12,808
Total $39,199 $72,399 +$33,200

Side by side

MetricTuscaloosa, ALLos Angeles, CA
Cost-of-living index89.1114.7
Unemployment rate5.59%6.59%
Population growth (5-yr)13.9%-1.1%
Air quality (median AQI)3780
Big Mac price (est.)$5.07$6.53
Median home price$223,201$968,608
Home price ÷ income3.8×10.9×
1-yr home appreciation0.4%0.3%
Price per square foot$109$646
Median rent$1,485$2,909
Total tax burden (% income)9.8%13.5%
Combined sales tax9.25%8.82%
Capital gains tax5.00%13.30%
Property tax rate0.33%0.69%
Healthcare (annual)$6,200$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$7,000$19,000
Vehicle property tax0.70%0.65%
Avg commute (min)2430
Home insurance / yr$2,400$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$800$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$950
Electricity ¢/kWh17.435.3
Gas $/gal2.954.85
Violent crime /100k450500
Avg summer high °F9184
Avg winter low °F3345
Permit difficulty (1–5)25
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