Cost of living in Forestdale, Alabama
Forestdale, Alabama has about 9,742 people. Typical rent is $1,203 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $66,569 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 #84 in Alabama on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,203 a month.
Forestdale is a Census community, not a separate city government in Alabama. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $66,569 a year.
- People
- 9,742
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,203
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $66,569
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $164,000
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,375
- Birmingham-Hoover, AL HUD Metro FMR Area
Forestdale, Alabama has about 9,742 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $164,000.
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 Forestdale. 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 Forestdale'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 Forestdale bill.
In July 2026, a typical Alabama home paid 16.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Forestdale'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, 51 have higher typical rent than Forestdale.
Nearby places
- Brookside
Typical rent $1,098
Compare with Forestdale - Adamsville
Typical rent $1,347
Compare with Forestdale - Graysville
Typical rent $1,120
Compare with Forestdale - Fultondale
Typical rent $1,269
Compare with Forestdale - Birmingham
Typical rent $1,107
Compare with Forestdale - Mount OliveCompare with Forestdale
- Fairfield
Typical rent $1,008
Compare with Forestdale - Pleasant Grove
Typical rent $1,400
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.
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.