What it's like to live in Oxford
Oxford is a small city in Alabama with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Oxford deals with above-average rainfall, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Oxford compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Oxford
Based on Oxford's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,850
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,000 a year
- 33% of Oxford renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,090
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 35% below US
$925/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $925 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $170,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $170,900 · 33% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Calhoun County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Calhoun County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 45% below US
181 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2381/100k · Oxford Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 31% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Freedom Riders National Monument (3 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Oxford's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are above-average rainfall and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($925/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Oxford
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