City comparison
Mobile, AL vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Port St. Lucie, FL are 13.8% higher than in Mobile, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Mobile, AL would need about $113,800 in Port St. Lucie, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,467 a month in Port St. Lucie, FL versus $919 in Mobile, AL. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Port St. Lucie, 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 Port St. Lucie, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +6.5% moving from Mobile, AL to Port St. Lucie, FL ($106,437 → $113,356), while prices change by +13.8%. Net effect of the transfer: −6.4% in real buying power.
- Mobile, AL: price level 88.1 (much cheaper)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Mobile, AL | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 88.1 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $113,769 in Port St. Lucie | $87,898 in Mobile |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $919/mo | $1,467/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 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: Mobile, AL MSA and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: Mobile, AL and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Mobile | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 60.1 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 84.2 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 88.1 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Mobile, AL → Port St. Lucie, FL
Same pay buys less
Buying power −12.1%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$4,735/yr.
38 Weak offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → Mobile, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +13.8%; 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; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Mobile, AL to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Mobile, AL | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, Mobile → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $65,735 | −6.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $79,533 | −6.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $95,326 | −6.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $113,356 | −6.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $133,953 | −6.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Mobile, AL | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in Mobile dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,970 | $53,610 | $47,122 (−22.7%) |
| Software Developers | $122,540 | $128,510 | $112,957 (−7.8%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $72,130 | $79,430 | $69,817 (−3.2%) |
| Registered Nurses | $79,490 | $82,090 | $72,155 (−9.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.