Last updated 2026-06-15 ยท MovePlan Editorial Team
Well below the national average, an affordable Alabama capital with very low rent.
Cost of living index (US avg = 100): 87
Median 2BR rent: $1,100/mo
Housing: 76 vs 100
Groceries: 94 vs 100
Utilities: 102 vs 100
Transportation: 94 vs 100
Healthcare: 94 vs 100
Montgomery pairs civil rights history, a riverfront downtown, and a slow southern pace with very low costs. Affordable housing is the headline, with humid summers the main seasonal trade-off.