Alabama cities

The best places to live in Alabama

Alabama's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Calera leads the list.

We scored Alabama's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#CityMedian homeRentValueOverall
5 Madison $279,800 $1,080 74 73
9 Auburn $285,000 $925 42 67
13 Hoover $316,700 $1,217 50 64
27 Montgomery $125,600 $939 58 47
30 Decatur $147,600 $725 43 45
33 Birmingham $102,900 $906 42 38
34 Huntsville $194,500 $912 32 38
35 Mobile $138,400 $918 34 35
37 Dothan $157,600 $807 25 34
45 Tuscaloosa $194,500 $907 15 15

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Alabama. Updated 2026.