The Best Cheap Renters Insurance in Alabama (2024)
State Farm has the cheapest renters insurance in Alabama, with an average price of just $18 per month.
Best Cheap Renters Insurance in AL
ValuePenguin editors compared prices, customer satisfaction, coverage options and benefits to pick the best renters insurance in AL. To find the lowest rates in the state, our experts collected dozens of quotes from top renters insurance companies across 25 of Alabama's biggest cities.
Cheapest renters insurance companies in Alabama
State Farm has the cheapest renters insurance in Alabama.
State Farm's average price is $18 per month for $30,000 of coverage. That's about 40% cheaper than the state average of $30 per month.
Amica also offers below-average rates.
Compare Cheap Renters Insurance Quotes in Alabama
Compare Renters Insurance Quotes in Alabama
Cheapest renters insurance companies in Alabama
Company | Monthly cost | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $18 | |
| Amica | $23 | |
| Progressive | $32 | |
| Assurant | $35 | |
| Allstate | $36 | |
Your rates probably won't be identical to what a neighbor pays, even if they live near you. This is because the price of your coverage depends on things like whether you've made a claim before, the amount of property you're insuring and your deductible.
Best renters insurance for most people in AL: State Farm
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Editor's rating
- Cost: $18/mo
State Farm has the best combination of cheap rates and good customer service in Alabama.
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Cheapest rates in Alabama
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Useful coverage options
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Good for bundling
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Not many discounts
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Average customer service
At $18 per month, State Farm is about 40% cheaper than the average cost of renters insurance in Alabama, where prices can be among the most expensive in the country.
Customers can find good coverage options at State Farm. Importantly, you can get replacement cost coverage. For example, if you file a claim for a damaged TV, you'll get enough money to buy a new TV, not just what your old TV was worth before it got damaged.
State Farm also offers a good bundle discount with car insurance. And it's the cheapest car insurance company in the state. It doesn't offer many other renters insurance discounts, though.
Unfortunately, State Farm's customer service is just average in Alabama. Customers are slightly more likely to complain about State Farm's service compared to a typical insurance company, and it ranked about average in J.D. Power's renters insurance satisfaction survey.
Best renters insurance for customer service in Alabama: Amica
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Editor's rating
- Cost: $23/mo
Amica has the best-rated customer service in Alabama.
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Great customer service
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Affordable rates
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Lots of discounts
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Few extra coverage options
Customers are far less likely to complain about the service they receive at Amica; it received 66% fewer complaints than a typical insurance company. This means you're more likely to be happy with the service you receive. And the company has a strong rating from ValuePenguin editors, too.
Amica also has low rates, with an average of $23 per month. That's $89 less per year than the state average. And you can reduce what you pay even further by qualifying for one of Amica's many discounts.
Amica renters insurance discounts
- Claims free
- E-discount
- Autopay
- Bundling
- Loyalty
Amica doesn't have much to offer for extra coverage options, though. It doesn't offer coverage for water backup or mold, for example, and you can't buy an extended liability endorsement, either.
Best for people in the military: USAA
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Editor's rating
USAA is a top-tier insurer, but it's only available if you're in the military.
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Excellent customer service
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Military-specific perks
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Only available if you're connected to the military
USAA is an excellent choice for people who are in the armed forces.
It has some of the best customer service of any renters insurance company in the country. It got the best score in J.D. Power's renters insurance satisfaction survey and far fewer complaints than a typical home insurance company.
The company's basic policies include flood coverage and can include earthquake coverage at no extra cost. You can also expand your coverage in a few different ways.
- Replacement cost coverage: Pays to replace lost property with a new version of the item.
- Coverage in a war zone: Covers your belongings if you're deployed or move overseas. That's even if you enter an active war zone, which most insurance companies don't offer.
- Military renters coverage: Lowers rates up to 28% if you live on a base or in barracks.
- Military gear coverage: Your uniform and gear are covered without a deductible.
To get a quote, you need to be a member of the military or be the spouse or dependent of someone who has a USAA insurance policy. USAA usually has cheaper-than-average rates across most kinds of insurance and allows you to bundle policies.
Alabama renters insurance: City-by-city
The cheapest major city for renters insurance in Alabama is Auburn, at a rate of $21 per month.
Mobile residents pay the highest prices for renters insurance, at $51 per month. Mobile's location on the Gulf Coast means that homes there are at high risk of flooding and hurricanes.
City | Monthly rate | % from average |
|---|---|---|
| Alabaster | $28 | -8% |
| Athens | $29 | -6% |
| Auburn | $21 | -30% |
| Bessemer | $34 | 12% |
| Birmingham | $36 | 19% |
Where you live will impact how much you pay for renters insurance. For example, areas that get a lot of severe weather might have higher rates, while places with low crime are likely to have cheap prices.
Tips for getting cheap renters insurance in Alabama
The single best way to get cheap renters insurance in Alabama is to shop around for the lowest prices from different companies. You could save $239 per year by switching from the most expensive to the cheapest renters insurance company in the state, for example.
You can also save by checking what discounts your insurance company offers. One of the best discounts is for bundling your renters insurance policy with another kind of coverage, especially auto insurance. You could also get good discounts for signing up for autopay or based on the type of job you have, like being a teacher or in the military.
Common renters insurance risks in AL
Hurricanes are the biggest renters insurance risk in Alabama, given the state's proximity to the Gulf Coast.
Despite Alabama's relatively short coastline, it's still seen the sixth-highest number of hurricanes in the country.
Does renters insurance in AL cover hurricanes?
Renters insurance will cover hurricane damage from wind and lightning, but not flooding.
Wind damage is a standard coverage on all renters insurance policies, so you'll be covered if wind breaks a window or knocks a tree branch on your belongings.
But damage from flooding is not covered by a standard renters insurance policy. If you want to protect your apartment from flood damage, you must buy a separate flood insurance policy.
However, as a renter, you're not responsible for covering the structure of your home. Coverage for the building you live in is your landlord's responsibility. That means unless you live on the first floor or in a very high-risk flood zone, you might not need to buy flood insurance at all.
Frequently asked questions
How much is renters insurance per month in Alabama?
The average cost of renters insurance in Alabama is $30 per month. Alabama renters can find the cheapest quotes from State Farm, where a policy with $30,000 of coverage costs $18 per month on average.
Does Alabama require renters insurance?
Renters insurance is not legally required in Alabama. However, your landlord or property management company can require a renters insurance policy as a part of your lease agreement.
How much is renters insurance in Birmingham, AL?
Renters in Birmingham, Alabama's second-largest city, pay $36 per month, or $437 per year, for renters insurance. That's 19% more expensive than the Alabama state average. People living in the largest city in the state, Huntsville, pay $27 per month for the same coverage.
Methodology
ValuePenguin gathered dozens of quotes from Alabama's 25 largest cities for a single 30-year-old woman who has never filed a renters insurance claim. Coverage limits include:
- $30,000 of personal property coverage
- $9,000 for loss of use
- $500 deductible
- $100,000 of personal liability
- $1,000 of medical payments to guests
Customer service ratings were created using renters insurance quotes, company-specific complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the most recent J.D. Power renters insurance customer satisfaction survey (2023).
These rates are only for comparative purposes. Your quotes will probably differ.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.