To take home four times the typical rent, a full-time job in Alabama needs to pay from $21.11 an hour in Dale County to $39.01 in Shelby County, before taxes. The middle county is Macon County at $23.73.
| County | Pay needed | Studio rent |
|---|---|---|
| Autauga County | $29.95/hr | $960/mo |
| Baldwin County | $34.21/hr | $1,090/mo |
| Barbour County | $22.74/hr | $740/mo |
| Bibb County | $26.02/hr | $840/mo |
| Blount County | $27.66/hr | $890/mo |
| Bullock County | $23.73/hr | $770/mo |
| Butler County | $22.25/hr | $725/mo |
| Calhoun County | $26.02/hr | $840/mo |
| Chambers County | $21.27/hr | $695/mo |
| Cherokee County | $22.74/hr | $740/mo |
| Chilton County | $25.04/hr | $810/mo |
| Choctaw County | $25.20/hr | $815/mo |
| Clarke County | $21.43/hr | $700/mo |
| Clay County | $21.93/hr | $715/mo |
| Cleburne County | $25.86/hr | $835/mo |
| Coffee County | $21.43/hr | $700/mo |
| Colbert County | $22.09/hr | $720/mo |
| Conecuh County | $22.09/hr | $720/mo |
| Coosa County | $23.73/hr | $770/mo |
| Covington County | $21.76/hr | $710/mo |
| Crenshaw County | $22.58/hr | $735/mo |
| Cullman County | $24.05/hr | $780/mo |
| Dale County | $21.11/hr | $690/mo |
| Dallas County | $22.58/hr | $735/mo |
| DeKalb County | $21.76/hr | $710/mo |
| Elmore County | $28.64/hr | $920/mo |
| Escambia County | $25.04/hr | $810/mo |
| Etowah County | $21.27/hr | $695/mo |
| Fayette County | $24.71/hr | $800/mo |
| Franklin County | $23.07/hr | $750/mo |
| Geneva County | $22.42/hr | $730/mo |
| Greene County | $26.35/hr | $850/mo |
| Hale County | $27.00/hr | $870/mo |
| Henry County | $22.42/hr | $730/mo |
| Houston County | $22.42/hr | $730/mo |
| Jackson County | $23.07/hr | $750/mo |
| Jefferson County | $34.55/hr | $1,100/mo |
| Lamar County | $24.71/hr | $800/mo |
| Lauderdale County | $24.87/hr | $805/mo |
| Lawrence County | $23.07/hr | $750/mo |
| Lee County | $26.67/hr | $860/mo |
| Limestone County | $29.29/hr | $940/mo |
| Lowndes County | $24.38/hr | $790/mo |
| Macon County | $23.73/hr | $770/mo |
| Madison County | $36.95/hr | $1,165/mo |
| Marengo County | $27.00/hr | $870/mo |
| Marion County | $21.76/hr | $710/mo |
| Marshall County | $22.74/hr | $740/mo |
| Mobile County | $28.97/hr | $930/mo |
| Monroe County | $21.60/hr | $705/mo |
| Montgomery County | $30.60/hr | $980/mo |
| Morgan County | $26.67/hr | $860/mo |
| Perry County | $22.09/hr | $720/mo |
| Pickens County | $24.71/hr | $800/mo |
| Pike County | $25.04/hr | $810/mo |
| Randolph County | $23.73/hr | $770/mo |
| Russell County | $27.66/hr | $890/mo |
| Shelby County | $39.01/hr | $1,220/mo |
| St. Clair County | $32.41/hr | $1,035/mo |
| Sumter County | $23.73/hr | $770/mo |
| Talladega County | $23.07/hr | $750/mo |
| Tallapoosa County | $22.74/hr | $740/mo |
| Tuscaloosa County | $29.13/hr | $935/mo |
| Walker County | $22.09/hr | $720/mo |
| Washington County | $21.43/hr | $700/mo |
| Wilcox County | $22.74/hr | $740/mo |
| Winston County | $22.25/hr | $725/mo |
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent?