The 36207 zip code in Anniston tops our ranking of the most affordable places to live in Alabama.
We looked at 164 zip codes in the state, evaluating home values, rental costs, energy rates, property taxes, and five other affordability indicators. We used the data we gathered to calculate our proprietary Affordability Score for each zip code.
Top 10 most affordable places to live in Alabama
| Rank | City | Affordability Score | Median home value | Rental costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anniston 🥇 | 100.0 | $200,558 | $886 |
| 2 | Saks 🥈 | 97.6 | $148,383 | $913 |
| 3 | Midfield 🥉 | 93.8 | $80,745 | $1,111 |
| 4 | Pinson | 93.4 | $225,729 | $1,565 |
| 5 | Mobile | 92.2 | $57,540 | $1,453 |
| 6 | Huntsville | 91.9 | $285,836 | $1,434 |
| 7 | Forestdale | 91.7 | $143,748 | $1,238 |
| 8 | Talladega | 91.4 | $145,137 | $1,453 |
| 9 | West End-Cobb Town | 90.6 | $69,350 | $867 |
| 10 | Madison | 90.5 | $375,781 | $1,287 |
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1. Anniston
Here's why the 36207 zip code in Anniston is Alabama's most affordable place to live.
🔎 Key data about Anniston
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 100.0 | No. 1 | N/A |
| Median home value | $200,558[1] | No. 60 | -$58,621.63 |
| Home affordability ratio | 3.0 | No. 44 | -0.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 25.5%[2] | No. 66 | -1.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.2%[3] | No. 8 | -1.0% |
| Rental costs | $886[4] | No. 3 | -$567 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.30% | No. 6 | -0.7% |
| Median household income | $67,969[5] | No. 79 | -$3,632 |
| Property taxes | $838[6] | No. 102 | -$192 |
| Energy costs | $0.08 kWh[7] | No. 20 | -$0.04 |
Anniston's 36207 zip code is the cheapest place to live in Alabama, leading the 164 markets we evaluated.
The median home value is $200,558, making it the 60th-cheapest housing market in the state. Forecasts project a -1.2% change in home values in the next year. Rent in the zip code averages $886 per month, which is the 6th cheapest amount in Alabama.
The median property tax for homeowners in Anniston is $838 per household, the No. 102 ranked market in Alabama.
Residents pay $0.08 per kWh of electricity, which ranks No. 20 among Alabama markets.
2. Saks
The 36206 zip code is the 2nd-cheapest place to live in Alabama.
🔎 Key data about Saks
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 97.6 | No. 2 | N/A |
| Median home value | $148,383[8] | No. 25 | -$110,796.20 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.9 | No. 40 | -0.7 |
| Home value five-year change | 23.6%[9] | No. 44 | -3.3% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.3%[10] | No. 7 | -1.1% |
| Rental costs | $913[11] | No. 4 | -$540 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.79% | No. 26 | -0.2% |
| Median household income | $51,116[12] | No. 131 | -$20,485 |
| Property taxes | $552[13] | No. 32 | -$478 |
| Energy costs | $0.08 kWh[14] | No. 20 | -$0.04 |
Saks's 36206 zip code has a median home value of $148,383, which is the 7th-cheapest housing market in Alabama. You can rent for an average of $913 per month. That's the 4th-cheapest price in the state.
The average household income in the zip code is $51,116, which ranks 131st-highest in the state.
Homeowners in Saks pay a median property tax of $552 per year, making it the 32nd-most affordable market in Alabama.
Saks ranks No. 20 among Alabama energy markets. You'll pay $0.08 per kWh of electricity.
3. Midfield
The 3rd-cheapest place to live in Alabama is Midfield's 35228 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Midfield
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.8 | No. 3 | N/A |
| Median home value | $80,745[15] | No. 8 | -$178,434.68 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.6 | No. 3 | -2.0 |
| Home value five-year change | 15.7%[16] | No. 14 | -11.3% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.6%[17] | No. 22 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,111[18] | No. 15 | -$342 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.19% | No. 118 | 0.2% |
| Median household income | $50,815[19] | No. 132 | -$20,786 |
| Property taxes | $746[20] | No. 82 | -$284 |
| Energy costs | $0.10 kWh[21] | No. 57 | -$0.03 |
The No. 8 cheapest housing market in Alabama is Midfield's 35228 zip code, with a median home value of $80,745. Rents in the market average $1,111 per month, making it the 15th-most affordable rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Midfield is $746, which makes it the 82nd-cheapest place in Alabama. Midfield ranks No. 57 among Alabama markets by energy costs. Residents pay $0.10 per kWh of electricity.
4. Pinson
The 35126 zip code in Pinson comes in at No. 4 on our list of the cheapest places to live in Alabama.
🔎 Key data about Pinson
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 93.4 | No. 4 | N/A |
| Median home value | $225,729[22] | No. 80 | -$33,450.30 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 23 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 22.0%[23] | No. 32 | -5.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.5%[24] | No. 30 | -0.3% |
| Rental costs | $1,565[25] | No. 130 | $112 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.87% | No. 33 | -0.2% |
| Median household income | $83,732[26] | No. 39 | $12,131 |
| Property taxes | $937[27] | No. 116 | -$93 |
| Energy costs | $0.08 kWh[28] | No. 20 | -$0.04 |
The No. 80 cheapest housing market in Alabama is Pinson's 35126 zip code, where the median home value is $225,729. Renters here pay an average of $1,565 per month.
When it comes to energy costs, Pinson ranks 20th among Alabama markets. Residents pay $0.08 per kWh of electricity.
The median property tax for households in the zip code is $937, which makes it the 116th-cheapest market in Alabama.
5. Mobile
The 36617 zip code in Mobile ranks No. 5 among Alabama's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about Mobile
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 92.2 | No. 5 | N/A |
| Median home value | $57,540[29] | No. 2 | -$201,639.87 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.4 | No. 2 | -2.2 |
| Home value five-year change | 0.2%[30] | No. 1 | -26.8% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.2%[31] | No. 79 | 0.0% |
| Rental costs | $1,453[32] | No. 54 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.03% | No. 44 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $40,900[33] | No. 154 | -$30,701 |
| Property taxes | $441[34] | No. 8 | -$589 |
| Energy costs | $0.17 kWh[35] | No. 140 | $0.05 |
Mobile's 36617 zip code has a median home value of $57,540, the 2nd-cheapest market in the state. Forecasts project a -0.2% change in home values in the next year.
The median property tax per household in Mobile is $441. It's the 8th-cheapest market by tax rate in Alabama.
6. Huntsville
The No. 6 most affordable place to live in Alabama is the 35811 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Huntsville
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 91.9 | No. 6 | N/A |
| Median home value | $285,836[36] | No. 122 | $26,656.82 |
| Home affordability ratio | 3.1 | No. 58 | -0.5 |
| Home value five-year change | 26.6%[37] | No. 82 | -0.4% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.3%[38] | No. 59 | -0.1% |
| Rental costs | $1,434[39] | No. 52 | -$19 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.58% | No. 19 | -0.4% |
| Median household income | $90,812[40] | No. 24 | $19,211 |
| Property taxes | $882[41] | No. 108 | -$148 |
| Energy costs | $0.06 kWh[42] | No. 1 | -$0.06 |
The back half of our top 10 kicks off with Huntsville's 35811 zip code, which has the 122nd-cheapest home values in Alabama. The median home value is $285,836. Rents average $1,434 per month, making it the 52nd-most affordable rental market in the state.
Residents pay $0.06 per kWh of electricity. It's the 1st-cheapest energy market.
7. Forestdale
Forestdale's 35214 zip code is the 7th-cheapest place to live in Alabama.
🔎 Key data about Forestdale
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 91.7 | No. 7 | N/A |
| Median home value | $143,748[43] | No. 21 | -$115,431.54 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.5 | No. 17 | -1.1 |
| Home value five-year change | 16.0%[44] | No. 16 | -11.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.6%[45] | No. 22 | -0.4% |
| Rental costs | $1,238[46] | No. 25 | -$215 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.20% | No. 119 | 0.2% |
| Median household income | $56,383[47] | No. 108 | -$15,218 |
| Property taxes | $788[48] | No. 91 | -$242 |
| Energy costs | $0.08 kWh[49] | No. 20 | -$0.04 |
You'll find the 21st-cheapest home values in Alabama in Forestdale's 35214 zip code. The median value: $143,748. Renters in Forestdale pay an average of $1,238 per month.
Homeowners in Forestdale pay a median property tax of $788 per year, which is Alabama's 91st-most affordable market.
The average household income is $56,383, which ranks 108th-highest in the state.
8. Talladega
The 8th-cheapest place to live in Alabama is Talladega's 35160 zip code.
🔎 Key data about Talladega
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 91.4 | No. 8 | N/A |
| Median home value | $145,137[50] | No. 23 | -$114,042.33 |
| Home affordability ratio | 2.7 | No. 29 | -0.9 |
| Home value five-year change | 9.9%[51] | No. 5 | -17.1% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.5%[52] | No. 4 | -1.3% |
| Rental costs | $1,453[53] | No. 54 | $0 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.03% | No. 44 | 0.0% |
| Median household income | $52,838[54] | No. 117 | -$18,763 |
| Property taxes | $456[55] | No. 9 | -$574 |
| Energy costs | $0.16 kWh[56] | No. 114 | $0.03 |
The 23rd-cheapest housing market in Alabama is Talladega's 35160 zip code, with a median home value of $145,137. Renters pay an average of $1,453 per month, the No. 54 rental market in the state.
The median property tax for households in Talladega is $456, which makes it the 9th-cheapest place in Alabama. The average household income of $52,838 ranks 117th.
9. West End-Cobb Town
West End-Cobb Town's 36201 zip code sneaks into the top ten of Alabama's most affordable places to live.
🔎 Key data about West End-Cobb Town
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 90.6 | No. 9 | N/A |
| Median home value | $69,350[57] | No. 4 | -$189,830.01 |
| Home affordability ratio | 1.8 | No. 4 | -1.8 |
| Home value five-year change | 27.0%[58] | No. 86 | 0.0% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -1.5%[59] | No. 4 | -1.3% |
| Rental costs | $867[60] | No. 2 | -$586 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 2.30% | No. 130 | 0.3% |
| Median household income | $37,614[61] | No. 159 | -$33,987 |
| Property taxes | $342[62] | No. 5 | -$688 |
| Energy costs | $0.11 kWh[63] | No. 78 | -$0.01 |
The 4th-cheapest housing market in Alabama is West End-Cobb Town's 36201 zip code, where the median home value is $69,350. Renters pay an average of $867 per month. It's the state's 2nd-cheapest rental market.
The median property tax for households within the zip code is $342, which makes it the 5th-cheapest property tax rate in Alabama.
10. Madison
The final spot on our list of the most affordable places to live in Alabama goes to the 35758 zip code in Madison.
🔎 Key data about Madison
| Data point | Value | Rank (out of 164 markets) | Difference from median or average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 90.5 | No. 10 | N/A |
| Median home value | $375,781[64] | No. 145 | $116,600.94 |
| Home affordability ratio | 3.2 | No. 65 | -0.4 |
| Home value five-year change | 25.5%[65] | No. 65 | -1.5% |
| Home value one-year forecast | -0.3%[66] | No. 59 | -0.1% |
| Rental costs | $1,287[67] | No. 35 | -$166 |
| Rent affordability ratio | 1.10% | No. 2 | -0.9% |
| Median household income | $117,380[68] | No. 12 | $45,779 |
| Property taxes | $1,877[69] | No. 155 | $847 |
| Energy costs | $0.08 kWh[70] | No. 11 | -$0.04 |
The 145th-most affordable market in Alabama is Madison's 35758 zip code. The median home value is $375,781. Rent in the market costs $1,287 per month on average, making it the 35th-most affordable rental market in Alabama.
The median property tax for households in Madison is $1,877, which is the 155th-cheapest property tax rate in the state.
Madison ranks No. 11 among Alabama markets by energy costs, with households paying $0.08 per kWh of electricity.
How we ranked the most affordable places in Alabama
We evaluated 164 zip codes in Alabama with a population over 10,000 on nine metrics. We then assigned each market an Affordability Score based on its weighted and combined rankings.
Our proprietary Affordability Score is a score on a scale of 0 (worst in state) to 100 (best in state) that estimates the affordability of a particular zip code. It takes into account these key data points for each zip code.
- Median home value: The median home value for each zip code comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. The lower the median home value relative to the median value in Alabama, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 13.0% to median home value.
- Home affordability ratio. The home affordability ratio is the typical median home value divided by the median household income in the zip code, which reveals the number of years of household income needed to afford a home in that zip code. A lower ratio is better because it means more households can afford a home. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 28.0% to the home affordability ratio.
- Home value five-year change: The home value five-year change is the amount that the median home value in the zip code has risen or fallen during the last five years. Our data comes from the Zillow Home Value Index. We assign a weight of 10.0% to the home value five-year change.
- Home value one-year forecast: The home value one-year forecast comes from Zillow Forecast data. It projects how much home values in the zip code are forecasted to change in the next year. We assign a weight of 8.0% to the home value one-year forecast.
- Rental costs. The rental costs are the observed rents in the zip code, sourced from the Zillow Observed Rent Index. The index includes "listed rents that fall into the 40th to 60th percentile range for all homes and apartments in a given region." We assign a weight of 7.0% to rental costs.
- Median household income: The inflation-adjusted median household income figures for the zip code comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 5.0% to median household income.
- Rent affordability ratio. The rent affordability ratio is the ratio of rental costs divided by median household income, which provides the percentage of household income needed to pay a typical month’s rent in the zip code. The data comes from the Zillow Observed Rent Index and the U.S. Census American Community Survey. We assign a weight of 17.0% to the rent affordability ratio.
- Property taxes: The property tax figures are the median real estate taxes paid in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. The lower the property tax rate relative to the Alabama average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 8.0% to property taxes.
- Energy costs: The energy costs are the costs of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of residential electricity in the zip code, sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy. The lower the cost of electricity relative to the Alabama average, the higher our score on this component. We assign a weight of 4.0% to energy costs.
✍️ Editor’s note: Our Affordability Score identifies the most affordable places in a state by zip code. Often the zip code we identify will represent an entire city or portion of a city.
Occasionally the zip code we identify will encompass an area that includes one or more small towns. In these cases, the data we’ve gathered applies to the entire zip code, not just the single town we’re using to help identify the zip code's location.
If you’re looking to move to one of these affordable places, we recommend doing additional research to make sure the costs in the area — and the quality of life it offers — meet your specific needs.
