Cost Of Living in Forestdale, AL

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Forestdale	Alabama	National
Cost of living	90	88	100
Goods & Services	98	96	100
Groceries	97	96	100
Health care	94	87	100
Housing	71	72	100
Transportation	91	91	100
Utilities	108	102	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Forestdale is 2% higher than the Alabama average
The cost of living in Forestdale is 10% lower than the national average
Forestdale housing is 29% lower than the national average
Alabama general sales tax is 22% lower than the national average
Alabama state income tax is 23% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$64,228	$5,352	$1,499	$1,927
Renters	$38,932	$3,244	$908	$1,168

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Forestdale, AL, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Forestdale, homeowners have a median income of $64,228. Using that number, a maximum of $1,499 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $38,932, which means there is a maximum of $908 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

Alabama Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Alabama	4%	13.5%

Alabama Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Alabama	2%	5%

Goods & Services

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.07	$24.26	17.3%
Beauty Salon	$45.74	$45.56	0.4%
Toothpaste	$3.76	$3.70	1.6%
Shampoo	$1.33	$1.28	4.1%
Movie	$12.54	$12.13	3.3%
Bowling	$16.37	$18.00	9.1%

Groceries

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.01	$5.84	3.0%
Fried Chicken	$1.66	$1.57	5.5%
Milk	$4.54	$4.67	2.9%
Potatoes	$5.23	$4.93	6.0%
Pizza	$10.99	$12.09	9.1%
Beer	$10.40	$10.41	0.1%

Health Care

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$92.33	$125.68	26.5%
Doctor	$101.83	$135.78	25.0%
Dentist	$125.78	$113.29	11.0%
Ibuprofen	$10.28	$10.65	3.5%
Lipitor	$460.79	$468.60	1.7%

Housing

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$121,900.00	$184,700.00	34.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,935.73	$2,346.69	17.5%
Apartment Rent	$794.00	$949.00	16.3%

Transportation

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.13	$3.46	9.7%
Tire Balancing	$54.52	$59.92	9.0%

Utilities

Item	Forestdale	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$219.40	$193.99	13.1%
Phone	$188.55	$192.25	1.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Cardiff, AL	46	77	23.5%
Mount Olive CDP (Coosa County), AL	275	79	20.7%
Edgewater, AL	832	82	18.1%
Brighton, AL	2,873	83	17.4%
North Johns, AL	152	83	17.4%
Forestdale, AL	8,688	90	10.2%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Clayton, NJ	8,688	105	5.4%
North Madison, OH	8,685	90	9.9%
Sandpoint, ID	8,692	114	14.1%
Midway City, CA	8,681	155	54.9%
Franklin, NH	8,695	111	11.4%
Forestdale, AL	8,688	90	10.2%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Forestdale, AL