Alabama vs Florida
Your $100,000 in Alabama is worth
$112,613
at national prices · RPP 88.8BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Florida is worth
$96,712
at national prices · RPP 103.4BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes −$15,901 less far in Florida (−14.1% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Alabama | Florida | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 88.8 | 103.4 | +16.4% |
| Housing rents | 61.8 | 122.1 | +97.6% |
| Goods | 96.4 | 98.1 | +1.8% |
| Utilities | 84.6 | 90.1 | +6.5% |
| Other services | 96.7 | 101.3 | +4.8% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
| Tax | Alabama | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 5.00% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 9.46% | 6.98% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Alabama vs Florida: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Alabama to Florida and its purchasing power changes from $112,613 to $96,712 in national-average terms — a loss of $15,901. Alabama is the cheaper of the two, running at 88.8 on the price index versus 103.4.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is housing rents: Alabama sits at 61.8 and Florida at 122.1 (100 = national). Alabama has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,007 in Alabama against $1,669 in Florida, and the typical home $209,900 versus $359,000. Alabama is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Alabama has 5.00% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 9.46%; Florida has no wage income tax and 6.98%. That income-tax difference can outweigh a chunk of the cost-of-living gap for higher earners.
Full profiles: Alabama ·Florida. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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