West Mobile
Desirable, family renters, low vacancy.
Mobile, AL
Is Mobile a good place to buy rental property in 2026?
Short answer: yes — for cash-flow investors. Mobile's median cap rate runs about 8.0% (Alabama state median), above the ~6.5% national median, with typical rent at $1,083–$1,414/mo and Alabama property tax near 0.41%.
Mobile is a Gulf Coast cash-flow market — port, aerospace (Airbus), and shipbuilding employment with affordable entry and healthy rent ratios.
Mobile market snapshot
Cash-flow marketHigher typical cap rates — built for monthly cash flow more than price growth.
Typical cap rate
8.0%
Alabama state median
Typical rent
$1,083–$1,414/mo
HUD FMR · 2–3BR · 2026
Typical price
$150,000–$240,000
est., all-in
Property tax
0.41%
Alabama effective
Rent is HUD Fair Market Rent where available, otherwise a market estimate; price is a market estimate. Cap-rate and tax are the defaults TrueCap applies — enter a specific address for exact, auto-filled numbers.
Sources & methodology. These are screening defaults and market estimates — not an appraisal, and not financial, tax, or legal advice. Verify rents, taxes, insurance, and local landlord/tenant law against the county assessor and your state's landlord-tenant statute before relying on them.
Data: HUD Fair Market Rent · FRED 30-yr mortgage rate · Tax Foundation (property tax) · Updated July 2026
Metro-level estimates — precision is lower at the neighborhood and parcel level; pull a specific address for exact, auto-filled figures. Reviewed by the TrueCap team. See our full methodology.
What rents actually look like in Mobile
One number never tells the story — HUD publishes ZIP-level Small Area Fair Market Rents for the Mobile, AL metro area, the metro-wide FMR region that includes Mobile, and the spread across its ZIP codes is where deals are won or lost. Same purchase price, different ZIP, very different rent.
| ZIP code | 2BR rent | 3BR rent |
|---|---|---|
| 36528 | $1,480/mo | $1,930/mo |
| 36608 | $1,240/mo | $1,620/mo |
| 36575 | $1,150/mo | $1,500/mo |
| 36523 | $1,120/mo | $1,460/mo |
| 36590 | $1,080/mo | $1,410/mo |
| 36633 | $1,080/mo | $1,410/mo |
| 36685 | $1,080/mo | $1,410/mo |
| 36611 | $1,040/mo | $1,360/mo |
| 36560 | $1,000/mo | $1,310/mo |
| 36513 | $960/mo | $1,260/mo |
| 36522 | $900/mo | $1,180/mo |
| 36612 | $900/mo | $1,180/mo |
Showing 12 of 50 ZIP codes in the Mobile, AL metro area — the HUD FMR region that includes Mobile — sampled highest to lowest across the rent range. Source: HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents. TrueCap auto-fills the exact ZIP-level figure when you enter a Mobile address.
Why Mobile works for rental investors
Industrial and port jobs anchor demand, and yields are strong for the price. Quote coastal insurance before you offer; reserve for older stock.
See the full Alabama investing guide — taxes, landlord law & top metros →
Neighborhoods to look at in Mobile
Midtown
Historic, walkable, steady demand.
Tillmans Corner
Affordable, value-add.
Neighborhood notes are starting points, not recommendations — always underwrite the specific property.
Run a Mobile deal in 60 seconds
Paste a Mobile address into TrueCap and get cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR, cash flow, and a 10-year projection — auto-filled with Alabama tax and HUD rent so you start from the right assumptions.
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