Cost of living in Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Muscle Shoals, Alabama has about 16,951 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $199,700.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Colbert County is $1,085 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Muscle Shoals. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area, prices sit at 84.8 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 Muscle Shoals'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 Muscle Shoals bill.

In July 2026, a typical Alabama home paid 16.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Muscle Shoals'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, 90 have higher typical rent than Muscle Shoals.