City comparison
Appleton, WI is about 750 miles (1,200 km) from Birmingham, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 950 miles, or about 16 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Appleton, WI to Birmingham, AL takes about 1 h 30 min, covering roughly 750 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Birmingham has a population of 200,431, vs 75,133 in Appleton — about 2.7× larger by population. By land area, Birmingham covers about 145 sq mi vs 25 sq mi for Appleton.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Appleton | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $913/mo | $995/mo | 9.0% higher in Birmingham |
| Median home value | $192,200 | $123,000 | 56.3% higher in Appleton |
| Median household income | $75,469 | $42,464 | 77.7% higher in Appleton |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 96.6 | 2.7% higher in Birmingham |
| Utilities index | 90.7 | 84.8 | 7.0% higher in Appleton |
| Transportation index | 99.2 | 97.0 | 2.2% higher in Appleton |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 96.5 | 3.0% higher in Appleton |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Appleton, you'd need $99,766 in Birmingham to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Appleton and Birmingham have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Appleton, you'd need about $79,813 in Birmingham to keep the same standard of living.