Cost of living in Athens research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Athens is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in Alabama, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Athens is 90, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Athens is 0.9x lower than the national average.
Athens ranks as the #57 cheapest in Alabama out of 115.
Athens ranks as the #1,633 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Athens is $184,900.
The median income in Athens is $52,211.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Athens has an overall cost of living index of 90, which is 0.9x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Alabama, Athens has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Alabama's index of 88.
The standard of living in Athens ranks as #57 most affordable out of the 115 places we measured in Alabama. By definition, that implies Athens ranks as the #58 most expensive place in the Heart of Dixie.
For more reading on life in Athens, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Athens. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Athens is 97.
The Groceries index in Athens is 93.
The Health index in Athens is 87.
The Housing index in Athens is 70.
The Transportation index in Athens is 90.
The Utilities index in Athens is 98.
Living Expense | Athens | Alabama | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 90 | 88 | 100 | |
Services | 97 | 95 | 100 | |
Groceries | 93 | 97 | 100 | |
Health | 87 | 88 | 100 | |
Housing | 70 | 69 | 100 | |
Transportation | 90 | 90 | 100 | |
Utilities | 98 | 101 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in Alabama, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Athens is $184,900.
The Median Rent in Athens is $720.
The Median Income in Athens is $52,211.
The Home Value To Income in Athens is 3.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Athens is 0.17x.
Statistic | Athens | Alabama | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $184,900 | $157,100 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $720 | $852 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $52,211 | $54,943 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.5x | 2.9x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.17x | 0.19x | 0.2x |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Athens. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Huntsville, AL has a cost of living index of 98, 1.1x Athens.
Decatur, AL has a cost of living index of 88, 1.0x Athens.
Madison, AL has a cost of living index of 106, 1.2x Athens.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Athens |
---|---|---|---|
Huntsville, AL | 210,081 | 98 | 1.1x |
Decatur, AL | 57,303 | 88 | 1.0x |
Madison, AL | 55,551 | 106 | 1.2x |
Florence, AL | 39,709 | 86 | 1.0x |
Cullman, AL | 17,892 | 88 | 1.0x |
Muscle Shoals, AL | 15,969 | 89 | 1.0x |
Hartselle, AL | 15,308 | 87 | 1.0x |
Lewisburg, TN | 12,131 | 84 | 0.9x |
Lawrenceburg, TN | 11,460 | 81 | 0.9x |
Pulaski, TN | 8,163 | 83 | 0.9x |