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A low cost of living and a high quality of life are reasons why Mobile is continuously ranked in Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” annual survey.
The average cost of a home purchased during 2007 was $158,500, well below the national average. During the past several years, the average home appreciated between five and eight percent annually.
The selection of existing homes in any one of Mobile’s downtown and midtown
neighborhoods, including seven historic residential districts, ranges from
mansions to Victorian cottages. Further away from the central business district,
suburban neighborhoods offer the options of waterfront property, rolling hills
and quiet cul de sacs. During 2007, 1,426 new homes were built and a number of new subdivisions, with a variety of house plans, are currently under development.
ACCRA,
(www.accra.org) The American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association,
produces a quarterly cost of living index for over 300 cities throughout the
United States. The ACCRA index uses the national average as a base of 100.0 and
ranks the cities accordingly. Mobile's cost of living is consistently one of the
10 lowest out of the 80 largest U.S. metropolitan areas according to the ACCRA
survey.Comparative Cost of Living Indicators
3rd Quarter 2009
City |
All Items |
Food |
Housing |
Utility |
Health Care |
Misc. Services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atlanta, GA |
95.4 |
99.8 |
92.8 |
84.3 |
97.7 |
93.6 |
|
Austin, TX |
96.8 |
91.0 |
85.6 |
90.3 |
96.9 |
111.4 |
|
Charleston, SC |
101.2 |
108.3 |
92.0 |
92.1 |
109.5 |
109.8 |
|
Charlotte, NC |
94.5 |
96.4 |
80.4 |
100.2 |
110.1 |
101.3 |
|
Dallas, TX |
92.0 |
94.2 |
69.5 |
112.1 |
104.3 |
100.9 |
|
Denver, CO |
104.3 |
99.4 |
106.6 |
105.0 |
105.4 |
106.4 |
|
Houston, TX |
88.2 |
85.7 |
78.1 |
100.3 |
95.8 |
94.5 |
|
Huntsville, AL |
92.7 |
94.6 |
79.2 |
94.7 |
92.0 |
104.1 |
|
Jackson, MS |
95.1 |
90.5 |
91.6 |
115.2 |
101.9 |
93.8 |
|
Jacksonville, FL |
91.8 |
102.1 |
78.8 |
92.3 |
95.7 |
96.4 |
|
Memphis, TN |
89.4 |
93.3 |
78.2 |
88.2 |
96.7 |
96.7 |
|
Mobile, AL |
93.3 |
104.2 |
81.1 |
110.0 |
87.6 |
96.2 |
|
New Orleans, LA |
105.1 |
110.2 |
97.6 |
109.5 |
106.1 |
108.4 |
|
New York, NY |
214.7 |
146.8 |
391.4 |
158.5 |
133.6 |
140.9 |
|
Orlando, FL |
98.8 |
98.4 |
88.3 |
105.2 |
95.0 |
104.2 |
|
Phoenix, AZ |
96.3 |
102.1 |
90.1 |
88.8 |
98.7 |
98.0 |
|
Pittsburg, PA |
92.8 |
101.8 |
73.6 |
110.3 |
90.3 |
98.3 |
|
San Antonio, TX |
95.3 |
85.7 |
93.3 |
84.7 |
98.7 |
95.5 |
|
San Francisco, CA |
162.9 |
118.1 |
271.1 |
91.4 |
120.7 |
128.3 |
|
Shreveport, LA |
93.3 |
94.9 |
90.6 |
85.2 |
92.8 |
98.2 |
|
St. Louis, MO |
89.8 |
99.4 |
77.4 |
87.1 |
98.9 |
95.3 |
|
Tampa, FL |
92.1 |
99.4 |
84.2 |
105.7 |
99.1 |
93.6 |
Source: ACCRA: 3nd Quarter 2009
