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CityLedger

Alexandria vs Florence

Metro-area medians — Alexandria, LA Metro Area vs Florence, SC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Alexandria comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Alexandria and Florence are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Alexandria, LA
$59,439
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$69,368
real value after local prices
Florence, SC
$58,400
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$67,301
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Alexandria leaves you about $2,066/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Alexandria
Florence
Livability (CityLedger)
31/100
23/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
85.7
86.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$65,249
$65,083
Median household income
$55,909
$56,475
Median rent
$899/mo
$1,023/mo
Median home value
$165,800
$196,600
Unemployment
4.5%
6.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
24.1%
24.2%
Average commute
22.3 min
22.4 min
Air quality (median AQI)
39
47
Avg temperature
67°F
65°F

Choose Alexandria for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Alexandria profile →

Choose Florence for

  • No clear edge
Full Florence profile →

Alexandria vs Florence — frequently asked

Is Alexandria cheaper than Florence?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Alexandria and Florence metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Alexandria or Florence?
Household incomes are similar — $55,909 in the Alexandria metro versus $56,475 in Florence (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Alexandria or Florence?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($65,249 versus $65,083).
Which has cheaper rent, Alexandria or Florence?
Alexandria has cheaper rent — a median of $899/mo versus $1,023/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).