Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Decatur's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Decatur?
Your $100,000 in Decatur has the same purchasing power as $125,565 in the average US city. You'd need $25,565 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Decatur's cost index of 80, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Decatur, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously your money goes a lot further here and the air is clean, not just clean-ish, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Decatur's composite cost-of-living index is 80 — roughly 20% under the US baseline. Housing is doing most of the heavy lifting; groceries, utilities, and services are also cheaper than the national norm, just by smaller margins. Median rent in town runs about $770/mo against a typical household income of $49,039, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Decatur's air quality index averages about 44 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Decatur is about 18 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Decatur's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is just part of the winter in Decatur. Average temperatures around 22°F mean the ground stays covered from December well into March, and a snowblower is less optional than aspirational.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Decatur averages roughly 22°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Decatur runs about 82°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 7. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 7 or colder should survive a typical winter in Decatur. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Decatur is at about 689 feet (210 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. Decatur's reported crime rate of about 3,261 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Decatur's composite cost-of-living index is 80, roughly 20% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Mostly car-dependent. Decatur's Walk Score of 48/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $55,748 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Decatur runs about $770/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.