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Cost & Benefits

Cost of living in Athens, Alabama

Athens, Alabama has about 29,002 people. Typical rent is $899 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $69,922 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.

Ranked #40 in Alabama on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.

Simple answer

Typical rent is $899 a month.

Athens is a city in Alabama. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $69,922 a year.

Is Athens affordable?See benefits in Athens
People
29,002
Census average, 2020–2024
Typical rent
$899
Median gross rent, includes utilities
Typical pay
$69,922
Median household income, yearly
Typical home
$270,000
Median home value
2-bedroom fair rent
$1,341
Huntsville, AL MSA

Athens, Alabama has about 29,002 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $270,000.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Limestone County is $1,341 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Athens. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Huntsville, AL metro area, prices sit at 93.1 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Alabama taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 9.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Athens's exact store tax.

Some places in Alabama add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.07% of income. That is not a Athens bill.

In July 2026, a typical Alabama home paid 16.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Athens's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Alabama in the table we use.

Among 290 places we list in Alabama with a rent figure, 142 have higher typical rent than Athens.

Nearby places

EBT nearby

USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.

Find SNAP stores near AthensWhat EBT can buy in Alabama

Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.

Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Alabama

Bigger places in Alabama

Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.