Tuscaloosa vs Midland leftover
You'd keep $1,458 more a month in Midland
$3,469/mo leftover in Midland vs $2,011 in Tuscaloosa after tax and rent ($1,458 more). +$17,496 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Tuscaloosa leftover
$2,011
a month after tax and rent
Midland leftover
$3,469
+$1,458 vs Tuscaloosa
Compare Tuscaloosa to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Tuscaloosa.
Monthly gap
Tuscaloosa → Midland
$1,458
more / month in Midland
$3,469 in Midland · $2,011 in Tuscaloosa · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
+$1,458 / mo
| Per month | Tuscaloosa | Midland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,500 | $8,399 | +$1,899 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,603 | $1,792 | +$189 |
| Take-home pay | $4,897 | $6,608 | +$1,710 |
| Rent | $930 | $1,254 | +$324 |
| Getting around | $591 | $570 | −$21 |
| Groceries | $376 | $363 | −$13 |
| Healthcare | $423 | $408 | −$15 |
| Utilities | $235 | $227 | −$8 |
| Everything else | $329 | $317 | −$12 |
| Left over | $2,011 | $3,469 | +$1,458 |
To break even in Midland, you'd need to earn
$76,000
Household gross, versus $78,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Tuscaloosa does now.
The tax difference alone
+$4,490
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
More about Midland
Tuscaloosa, AL in full
State income tax topping out at 5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,107 and 223 sunny days; commutes average 24 minutes.
Midland, TX in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,493 and 263 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Midland on Midland wages.
Midland → Tuscaloosa →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Midland than Tuscaloosa?
A one-bedroom is about $930 in Tuscaloosa versus $1,254 in Midland. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,458 a month higher in Midland. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Midland have state income tax?
Midland is in Texas, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Tuscaloosa to Midland?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Texas tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Tuscaloosa and Midland moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.