City comparison
Mobile, AL vs Palm Bay, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Palm Bay, FL are 13.5% higher than in Mobile, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Mobile, AL would need about $113,500 in Palm Bay, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,478 a month in Palm Bay, FL versus $919 in Mobile, AL. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Palm Bay, FL and 15% in Mobile, AL.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,735 a year higher in Mobile, AL than in Palm Bay, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +0.7% moving from Mobile, AL to Palm Bay, FL ($106,437 → $107,228), while prices change by +13.5%. Net effect of the transfer: −11.3% in real buying power.
- Mobile, AL: price level 88.1 (much cheaper)
- Palm Bay, FL: price level 100.0 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Mobile, AL | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 88.1 | 100.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $113,516 in Palm Bay | $88,094 in Mobile |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $919/mo | $1,478/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,445 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,735 (AL) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 15% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,000 | $49,030 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
Rent areas: Mobile, AL MSA and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA. Metro areas: Mobile, AL and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Mobile | Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 60.1 | 111.7 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 84.2 | 88.1 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 88.1 | 100.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Mobile, AL → Palm Bay, FL
Same pay buys less
Buying power −11.9%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$4,735/yr.
38 Weak offer
Palm Bay, FL → Mobile, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +13.5%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$4,735/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Mobile, AL is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Palm Bay, FL is in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Mobile, AL to Palm Bay, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Mobile, AL | Palm Bay, FL | Real change, Mobile → Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,181 | −11.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,233 | −11.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $90,173 | −11.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $107,228 | −11.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $126,711 | −11.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Mobile, AL | Palm Bay, FL | Palm Bay pay in Mobile dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,970 | $62,510 | $55,067 (−9.7%) |
| Software Developers | $122,540 | $131,760 | $116,072 (−5.3%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $72,130 | $75,860 | $66,828 (−7.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $79,490 | $80,900 | $71,268 (−10.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.