Cost of living in Rainbow City 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 Rainbow City 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 Rainbow City is 89, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Rainbow City is 0.9x lower than the national average.
Rainbow City ranks as the #50 cheapest in Alabama out of 115.
Rainbow City ranks as the #1,460 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Rainbow City is $169,800.
The median income in Rainbow City is $51,765.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Rainbow City has an overall cost of living index of 89, which is 0.9x lower than the national index of 100.
Compared to Alabama, Rainbow City has a cost of living index that's 1.0x higher than Alabama's index of 88.
The standard of living in Rainbow City ranks as #50 most affordable out of the 115 places we measured in Alabama. By definition, that implies Rainbow City ranks as the #65 most expensive place in the Heart of Dixie.
For more reading on life in Rainbow City, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Rainbow City. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Rainbow City is 88.
The Groceries index in Rainbow City is 89.
The Health index in Rainbow City is 81.
The Housing index in Rainbow City is 78.
The Transportation index in Rainbow City is 89.
The Utilities index in Rainbow City is 127.
Living Expense | Rainbow City | Alabama | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 89 | 88 | 100 | |
Services | 88 | 95 | 100 | |
Groceries | 89 | 97 | 100 | |
Health | 81 | 88 | 100 | |
Housing | 78 | 69 | 100 | |
Transportation | 89 | 90 | 100 | |
Utilities | 127 | 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 Rainbow City is $169,800.
The Median Rent in Rainbow City is $847.
The Median Income in Rainbow City is $51,765.
The Home Value To Income in Rainbow City is 3.3x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Rainbow City is 0.2x.
Statistic | Rainbow City | Alabama | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $169,800 | $157,100 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $847 | $852 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $51,765 | $54,943 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 3.3x | 2.9x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.19x | 0.2x |
Item | Rainbow City | Alabama |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.0 | $1.06 |
Movie | $10.95 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $10.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $14.06 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $31.0 | $39.05 |
Item | Rainbow City | Alabama |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.44 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.3 | $1.39 |
Milk | $1.54 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $2.7 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $10.32 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.1 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $1.98 | $2.34 |
Item | Rainbow City | Alabama |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $78.37 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $82.92 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $77.58 | $99.13 |
Item | Rainbow City | Alabama |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $1.95 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $43.17 | $50.07 |
Item | Rainbow City | Alabama |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $246.01 | $167.67 |
Phone | $181.81 | $175.64 |