Cost of Living
From Old South charm to sleek modern practicality - the housing styles available in Mobile are endless. A home in Mobile is not only affordable; it’s a great investment.
Mobile Alabama Homes with Old South Charm
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 midtownMobile Alabama Play Grounds 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.

Modern homes in Mobile Alabama 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