Cost of living in Opelika, Alabama
Opelika, Alabama has about 32,820 people. Typical rent is $950 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $65,004 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 #35 in Alabama on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $950 a month.
Opelika is a city in Alabama. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $65,004 a year.
- People
- 32,820
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $950
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $65,004
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $241,800
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,277
- Auburn-Opelika, AL HUD Metro FMR Area
Opelika, Alabama has about 32,820 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $241,800.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Lee County is $1,277 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Opelika. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Auburn-Opelika, AL metro area, prices sit at 87.9 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 Opelika'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 Opelika bill.
In July 2026, a typical Alabama home paid 16.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Opelika'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, 119 have higher typical rent than Opelika.
Nearby places
- Auburn
Typical rent $1,098
Compare with Opelika - Valley
Typical rent $1,016
Compare with Opelika - Huguley
Typical rent $838
Compare with Opelika - La Fayette
Typical rent $645
Compare with Opelika - Lanett
Typical rent $940
Compare with Opelika - Camp Hill
Typical rent $600
Compare with Opelika - Smiths Station
Typical rent $1,012
Compare with Opelika - West Point
Typical rent $789
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.