What salary do you need to live in Decatur, AL?

Decatur housing costs at a glance

Median gross rent, meaning contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities, runs $683, $829 and $1,006 a month for one, two and three bedrooms across Decatur, AL. The largest of those is 47% more than the smallest.

Buying is the other half of the housing picture: owners put the median home in Decatur, AL at $202,500. That is only 3.0× the area's median household income of $68,116, a low ratio by national standards.

BEA's Regional Price Parity for the metro is 87.2, where 100 is the US average. In plain terms, the full basket of goods, services and housing costs 12.8% less than average, so $100,000 here buys roughly what $114,663 would at average US prices.

Income needed for each grade in Decatur

For two bedrooms, $85,000 is where Decatur turns Comfortable. Below that, $43,000 marks the start of Okay and $21,000 the start of Tight; under $21,000 the score reads Stretched. Rent at the Comfortable line is 12% of gross pay.

The Royal grade is within reach at $209,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Decatur shows the matching grade.

Scores at $50K, $75K, $100K and $150K in Decatur

Choosing a bigger place in Decatur at $75,000 trims the score from 64 to 58 without leaving Okay.

Of the four salaries, $100,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $75,000 still lands at Okay.

Decatur on the national list

On price level Decatur is 350th of 387 (1 = most expensive); on two-bedroom rent it is 379th, and on median home value 296th. The two rankings agree, both falling among the least expensive tenth.

For a sense of scale, the metros just above and below it on two-bedroom rent are Parkersburg-Vienna, WV ($845) and Gadsden, AL ($817).

Decatur vs. the rest of Alabama

Compared with Alabama as a whole, two-bedroom rent in Decatur is 14% lower ($829 vs. $960) and the median home is 4% lower ($202,500 vs. $209,900).

On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $97,000 — above Decatur's $85,000 line.

The nearest matches in Alabama, judged on rent and price parity together, are Gadsden, AL, Anniston-Oxford, AL, and Dothan, AL.

Decatur's median income on the scale

The median household in the metro earns $68,116 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 59, Okay. The Comfortable line is 25% above what the median household makes. For Alabama as a whole, the median household income of $63,999 scores 53 against statewide rents. Household income can include more than one earner, so a single salary of the same size goes less far.

Estimates use pre-tax income and public data; they are not financial advice.