City comparison
Mobile, AL vs Visalia, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Visalia, CA are 13.3% higher than in Mobile, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Mobile, AL would need about $113,300 in Visalia, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,123 a month in Visalia, CA versus $919 in Mobile, AL. On $100,000, that's 18% of take-home pay in Visalia, CA and 15% in Mobile, AL.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $335 a year higher in Visalia, CA than in Mobile, AL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +0.5% moving from Mobile, AL to Visalia, CA ($106,437 → $106,973), while prices change by +13.3%. Net effect of the transfer: −11.3% in real buying power.
- Mobile, AL: price level 88.1 (much cheaper)
- Visalia, CA: price level 99.8 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Mobile, AL | Visalia, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 88.1 | 99.8 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $113,311 in Visalia | $88,252 in Mobile |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $919/mo | $1,123/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,445 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,735 (AL) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 15% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,000 | $45,130 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA |
Rent areas: Mobile, AL MSA and Visalia, CA MSA. Metro areas: Mobile, AL and Visalia, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Mobile | Visalia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 60.1 | 84.1 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 84.2 | 156.4 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 88.1 | 99.8 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Mobile, AL → Visalia, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −11.7%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$335/yr.
38 Weak offer
Visalia, CA → Mobile, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +13.3%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax −$335/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Mobile, AL is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Visalia, CA is in Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Mobile, AL to Visalia, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Mobile, AL | Visalia, CA | Real change, Mobile → Visalia |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $62,033 | −11.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $75,055 | −11.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $89,959 | −11.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $106,973 | −11.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $126,410 | −11.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Mobile, AL | Visalia, CA | Visalia pay in Mobile dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,970 | $98,430 | $86,867 (+42.5%) |
| Software Developers | $122,540 | $126,170 | $111,348 (−9.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $72,130 | $79,400 | $70,072 (−2.9%) |
| Registered Nurses | $79,490 | $125,180 | $110,474 (+39.0%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.