What is the cost of living in Albany?

Albany has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 102.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 101.1, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,500/month.

What is the median salary in Albany?

The median salary in Albany is $67,935 annually (mean: $70,200). Top occupations include Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

The violent crime rate in the Albany area is 335 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2410 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Albany?

The state of OR has 1,277 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.6:1. Charter schools make up 10.1% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Albany?

Infant center-based childcare in the Albany area averages $12,639 per year. Preschool averages $9,385/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Albany a good place to relocate?

Albany has a Life Score of 43.2/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Albany sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Albany ranks #281 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Albany, OR

BEA RPP 102.1 ranks #331 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

102.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,500
2BR rent / mo: $67,935
Median salary: 45.1
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Albany ranks #281 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (45.1/100), with its strongest marks in air quality and low hazard.

#281
of 387 US metros · Near median: 4,272,371
metro-area population: 335
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,277
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (11/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Albany ranks #281 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 102.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,500/mo, median salary $67,935; LiveAbility Score 45.1/100, strongest in air quality and low hazard.

Signature: BEA RPP 102.1 ranks #331 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 102.1 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,500/mo.

LiveAbility 45.1/100 puts Albany in the bottom third (#281 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Albany area is 42,220.

Albany vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

45 Top 73% higher than 27% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Albany housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Albany MSA; housing RPP 101.1 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,500/mo.

Studio

$1,034

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,236

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,500

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,030

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,356

/month

Albany wages and employment

Albany posts 42,220 total employment with median salary $67,935 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$67,935

Mean Salary

$70,200

Total Employment

42,220

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$47,150
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,970
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,330
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$42,120
Cashiers	$34,160

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Albany area from NCES.

Schools

1,277

Enrollment

537,619

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Albany area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$12,639

per year

Toddler (Center)

$11,605

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,385

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Albany's composite Life Score is 43.2/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

15/100

Bottom decile

Wages

63/100

Above average

Rent

31/100

Weak

Crime

45/100

Average

Schools

74/100

Strong

Childcare

26/100

Weak

Environment

64/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Albany ranks #281 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 45.1/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Air quality (97/100)

Air quality

97
Low hazard

93
Job market

63
Safety

45
Housing

31
Schools

26
Cost of living

15
Climate

11

What this shows Albany's strongest dimensions are air quality and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 11/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Albany to

Winchester Winston-Salem Worcester Yakima York-Hanover Youngstown-Warren

Metros near Albany on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Albany on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Albany cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Albany wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Albany?

Albany runs a $67,935 median salary at a 102.1 cost index, ranking #281 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Albany's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Albany head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Albany
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.