Accountants & Auditors salary in Tuscaloosa, AL
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Tuscaloosa, AL: $67,940/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $45,130 – $108,700 · about 910 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($74,290) by −$6,350 (-9%).
What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa
With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $67,940 has the buying power of about $76,245 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.
How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 146th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 105th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tuscaloosa is one of the places where accountants & auditors gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Tuscaloosa
A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 3.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,485/mo works out at 26% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Tuscaloosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +68% | 2.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +53% | 2.2× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +53% | 2.4× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +43% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville, AL | $74,290 | +9% | 0.9× |
| Birmingham, AL | $68,770 | +1% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $66,330 | −2% | 0.9× |
| Daphne, AL | $63,900 | −6% | 1.1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Tuscaloosa
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.