City comparison
Mobile, AL vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Antonio, TX are 7.5% higher than in Mobile, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Mobile, AL would need about $107,500 in San Antonio, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,177 a month in San Antonio, TX versus $919 in Mobile, AL. On $100,000, that's 18% of take-home pay in San Antonio, TX and 15% in Mobile, AL.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,735 a year higher in Mobile, AL than in San Antonio, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +1.5% moving from Mobile, AL to San Antonio, TX ($106,437 → $108,001), while prices change by +7.5%. Net effect of the transfer: −5.6% in real buying power.
- Mobile, AL: price level 88.1 (much cheaper)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Mobile, AL | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 88.1 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $107,512 in San Antonio | $93,013 in Mobile |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $919/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,445 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,735 (AL) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 15% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,000 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Mobile, AL MSA and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Mobile, AL and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Mobile | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 60.1 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 84.2 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 88.1 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Mobile, AL → San Antonio, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −7.0%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax −$4,735/yr.
47 Fair offer
San Antonio, TX → Mobile, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +7.5%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$4,735/yr.
92 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Mobile, AL is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Mobile, AL to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Mobile, AL | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Mobile → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,629 | −5.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,776 | −5.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $90,823 | −5.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $108,001 | −5.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $127,624 | −5.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Mobile, AL | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Mobile dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,970 | $61,720 | $57,407 (−5.8%) |
| Software Developers | $122,540 | $128,430 | $119,456 (−2.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $72,130 | $78,650 | $73,155 (+1.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $79,490 | $94,370 | $87,776 (+10.4%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.