Cost Of Living in Highland Lakes, 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	Highland Lakes	Alabama	National
Cost of living	142	88	100
Goods & Services	98	96	100
Groceries	97	96	100
Health care	94	87	100
Housing	244	72	100
Transportation	91	91	100
Utilities	108	102	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Highland Lakes is 60% higher than the Alabama average
The cost of living in Highland Lakes is 42% higher than the national average
Highland Lakes housing is 144% higher 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	$157,050	$13,088	$3,664	$4,712
Renters	$0	$0	$0	$0

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Highland Lakes, AL, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Highland Lakes, the median monthly income is $157,050 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $3,664 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $0, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $0 on monthly rental expenses.

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	Highland Lakes	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	Highland Lakes	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	Highland Lakes	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	Highland Lakes	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$450,500.00	$184,700.00	143.9%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,935.73	$2,346.69	17.5%
Apartment Rent	$0.00	$949.00	100.0%

Transportation

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

Utilities

Item	Highland Lakes	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.
Brantleyville, AL	810	77	22.6%
Tarrant, AL	6,216	86	14.3%
Vincent, AL	1,956	87	12.6%
Birmingham, AL	210,928	88	12.3%
Forestdale, AL	8,688	90	10.2%
Highland Lakes, AL	5,973	142	41.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Portland, IN	5,972	84	16.2%
Minot AFB, ND	5,974	117	16.6%
Salton City, CA	5,975	105	5.4%
Ocean City, FL	5,969	100	0.3%
Northville, MI	5,968	120	20.3%
Highland Lakes, AL	5,973	142	41.6%

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 Highland Lakes, AL