Cost of living in Bessemer, Alabama

Bessemer, Alabama has about 25,400 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $135,900.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Jefferson County is $1,375 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Bessemer. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Birmingham, AL metro area, prices sit at 91.6 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 Bessemer'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 Bessemer bill.

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

EIA does not publish a Alabama gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) all-grades price was $3.954 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,897.92 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Alabama shares this price.

Among 290 places we list in Alabama with a rent figure, 110 have higher typical rent than Bessemer.