Registered Nurses salary in Tuscaloosa, AL
Median pay for registered nurses in Tuscaloosa, AL: $66,180/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,330 – $97,590 · about 2,330 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($80,810) by −$14,630 (-18%).
What it's really worth in Tuscaloosa
With Tuscaloosa's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $66,180 has the buying power of about $74,270 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,132 · median home $223,201 · median rent $1,485/mo.
How Tuscaloosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tuscaloosa, AL is 182nd of the 187 metros we hold registered nurses wages for. Once Tuscaloosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 180th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Tuscaloosa sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Tuscaloosa
A median home in Tuscaloosa, AL costs $223,201 — about 3.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,485/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where registered nurses earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Tuscaloosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $187,080 | +183% | 1.6× |
| San Francisco, CA | $181,240 | +174% | 2.2× |
| San Jose, CA | $179,210 | +171% | 2.4× |
| Sacramento, CA | $157,810 | +138% | 1.5× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tuscaloosa | Rent vs Tuscaloosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery, AL | $74,430 | +12% | 0.9× |
| Birmingham, AL | $71,520 | +8% | 1× |
| Daphne, AL | $69,040 | +4% | 1.1× |
| Mobile, AL | $65,190 | −1% | 0.9× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Tuscaloosa
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.