Mechanical Engineers salary in Tuscaloosa, AL

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Tuscaloosa, AL: $103,660/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $63,090 – $149,350 · about 100 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($95,605) by +$8,055 (+8%).

What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa

With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $103,660 has the buying power of about $116,332 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.

Full Tuscaloosa cost of living & taxes →

How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job

On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 27th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 12th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Tuscaloosa sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Tuscaloosa

A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 2.2× 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 17% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers 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	$153,520	+48%	2.4×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+32%	2.2×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+29%	1×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+26%	0.9×

Same job elsewhere in AL

Metro	Median pay	vs Tuscaloosa	Rent vs Tuscaloosa
Huntsville, AL	$102,500	−1%	0.9×
Mobile, AL	$101,830	−2%	0.9×
Daphne, AL	$92,450	−11%	1.1×
Birmingham, AL	$85,690	−17%	1×

Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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