What it's like to live in Saraland
Saraland 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. Saraland deals with household incomes below the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, and very rainy.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 67" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Saraland compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Saraland
Based on Saraland's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,120
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,400 a year
- 59% of Saraland renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,520
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,760
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 25% below US
$1,060/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,060 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $217,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $217,600 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Mobile County is 3.5%, 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.
Mobile County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 80% below US
67 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 1126/100k · Saraland Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.9 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; 5% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 43°F. It's a wet climate overall.
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
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gulf Islands National Seashore (63 miles away).
Bottom line
Saraland's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,060/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Saraland
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