City comparison
Decatur, AL is about 275 miles (450 km) from Mobile, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 350 miles, or about 5 h 45 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Decatur, AL to Mobile, AL takes about 33 min, covering roughly 275 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Mobile has a population of 186,316, vs 57,525 in Decatur — about 3.2× larger by population. By land area, Mobile covers about 150 sq mi vs 55 sq mi for Decatur.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Decatur | Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $801/mo | $985/mo | 23.0% higher in Mobile |
| Median home value | $170,000 | $158,400 | 7.3% higher in Decatur |
| Median household income | $55,164 | $48,524 | 13.7% higher in Decatur |
| Groceries index | 96.6 | 96.6 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 85.7 | 85.1 | 0.6% higher in Decatur |
| Transportation index | 97.0 | 97.0 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 96.5 | 96.5 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Decatur, you'd need $101,621 in Mobile to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Decatur, AL is about 1.6% cheaper overall than Mobile, AL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% higher in Mobile than in Decatur. If you earn $80,000 in Decatur, you'd need about $81,296 in Mobile to keep the same standard of living.