Cost of Living & Housing in The Shoals
Florence and Muscle Shoals both run genuinely affordable, with Florence -- the larger anchor city and University of North Alabama's home -- running slightly below its twin city across the Tennessee River.
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Learn moreTwo Genuinely Affordable, Closely Matched Markets
Florence ($242,000-$244,900, 46% below the national average) and Muscle Shoals ($265,937 average value, up 2.7% over the past year) both run genuinely affordable, with a low 0.38%-0.40% effective property tax rate shared across the region's two counties (Lauderdale for Florence, Colbert for Muscle Shoals).
Key takeaways
- Florence and Muscle Shoals both run genuinely affordable (roughly $242K-$266K), sharing a low 0.38%-0.40% effective property tax rate.
- Florence's University of North Alabama enrollment growth (a record 10,730 students in Fall 2025) is a real, current driver of local housing demand.
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