Athens vs Huntsville
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $293,600 in Huntsville and $299,200 in Athens.
- Households earn more in Huntsville ($74,714 vs $52,974 median).
- Huntsville is growing faster: +8.7% since 2020 vs +1%.
Side by side
| Athens, GA | Huntsville, AL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 128,612 | 233,627 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | +8.7% |
| People per square mile | 1,105 | 1,037 |
| Median age | 29.4 | 36.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $52,974 | $74,714 |
| Median home value | $299,200 | $293,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,219 | $1,171 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.3 | 93.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.8 | 77.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $70,000 | $69,800 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | 5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 9.46% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.6 | 19.7 |
| Work from home | 14% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.3% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 26.5% | 12.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 55° / 34° | 52° / 33° |
| July high / low | 92° / 70° | 92° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 54 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 62 |
| Nights below freezing | 46 | 56 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 1 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 67.0 | 94.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +54.8% | +43% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Athens: March to May and September to October. Huntsville: October.
Full monthly tables: Athens weather by month and Huntsville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $70,000 in Athens and $69,800 in Huntsville. Moving from Athens to Huntsville, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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