Median home price: $332,640*

Cost-of-living index: 240

Nonretail spending index: 243

Location: about 5 miles southeast of Birmingham

Population: 19,457


Incorporated in 1942 in the Appalachian foothills, Mountain Brook is both the most expensive and the wealthiest suburb in Alabama. The per capita income in Mountain Brook is $81,317, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, nearly three times the U.S. average of $27,466. Residents are close to the Country Club of Birmingham, the Mountain Brook Club, and the Highland Park Golf Course, according to themejiagroup.com.

* Median home price according to Sperling's BestPlaces. Home prices from other sources are provided as a reference, but did not factor into the ranking

(The map of Alabama has been updated.)