Cost of Living in Decatur
Decatur is genuinely affordable: a $240,000-$241,868 median home sale price, 46% below the national average, layered with Alabama's near-flat 5% income tax and a 9.0% combined sales tax, though its 0.48% effective property tax rate runs the highest of this wave's five Alabama markets.
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Learn moreHousing runs substantially below the national median
Redfin cited $241,868 for June 2026 (+2.1% YoY) and $240,000 for the three months ending April 2026 (-3.1% YoY) -- a real, disclosed period gap, both figures pointing toward a real 46% discount to the national average.
Alabama's income tax and Decatur's 9.0% sales tax
Alabama's graduated income tax runs near-flat 5% for most earners, softened by its real, uncapped federal-tax-deduction offset. Decatur's combined sales tax is 9.0% (4% state + 1% Morgan County + 4% city).
The highest property tax rate among this wave's five markets
Morgan County's effective property tax rate runs about 0.48% -- the highest of Florence, Dothan, Decatur, Athens, and Prattville, though still well under the roughly 1.0% national median.
Key takeaways
- Decatur's median home price ($240K-$242K) runs a real 46% below the national average.
- Alabama's near-flat 5% income tax is softened by its real federal-tax-deduction offset.
- Morgan County's ~0.48% effective property tax rate is the highest of this wave's five markets, though still nationally low.
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