<p>what’s the cost of living like down there? of course i live in a area with a cost of living index of 186, so it is probably better…</p>
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<p>source: [City</a> Data](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/city/Tuscaloosa-Alabama.html]City”>http://www.city-data.com/city/Tuscaloosa-Alabama.html)</p>
<p>i know ;)</p>
<p>but i was hoping to get some anecdotal evidence…hopefully im not asking too many questions!</p>
<p>If you were planning on buying or renting a home, Tuscaloosa is quite affordable in those areas, plus AL property taxes are low. </p>
<p>Grocery-wise, I would say that Tuscaloosa has average prices. Wal-Mart does help bring in low prices, but there isn’t tons of competition to bring prices down below that level. There is a 9% sales tax on groceries and other items. That said, I do find the Publix Supermarket to be reasonably priced, which is a good thing when you don’t have a car. For some reason, Milk is quite expensive in Tuscaloosa, oftentimes 50 cents more a gallon than in Birmingham. </p>
<p>There is much competition among restaurants in Tuscaloosa for student customers, which when combined with lower wages for staff, makes restaurant prices quite low. I remember my mom saying that what the Tuscaloosa Olive Garden charged for dinner would be the lunch price at home.</p>
<p>If you do have a car, gasoline will cost much less than in California, as do tobacco products since AL taxes those items less than many other states. When you turn 21, you might notice that alcoholic beverages cost more than in AL because AL is a control state and also does not allow rebates on alcoholic beverages . FYI, prices at state-operated ABC stores will usually be less than those at privately-run package stores.</p>
<p>*Price comparison information for alcohol and tobacco products was gathered by reading pricetags, talking to people who purchase the products, and interpreting data from the internet.</p>
<p>If you have questions about other product categories, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>ok cool thanks!..what about…services? like TV or internet…maybe the school provides it for free, but assuming one lives off campus…</p>
<p>TV and internet would be the standard nationwide pricing, but the taxes would probably be less. Fees for both are already included in the rates for university housing.</p>
<p>As for other services, it depends. The rates might be lower in AL due to lower labor costs, but it all depends on what kind of service you will be purchasing, the amount of competition in for that service, and other related factors.</p>