City comparison
Birmingham, AL is about 750 miles (1,200 km) from La Crosse, WI 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 Birmingham, AL to La Crosse, WI 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 52,043 in La Crosse — about 3.9× larger by population. By land area, Birmingham covers about 145 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for La Crosse.
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 | Birmingham | La Crosse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $995/mo | $941/mo | 5.7% higher in Birmingham |
| Median home value | $123,000 | $183,300 | 49.0% higher in La Crosse |
| Median household income | $42,464 | $51,836 | 22.1% higher in La Crosse |
| Groceries index | 96.6 | 94.0 | 2.7% higher in Birmingham |
| Utilities index | 84.8 | 89.7 | 5.8% higher in La Crosse |
| Transportation index | 97.0 | 99.2 | 2.2% higher in La Crosse |
| Healthcare index | 96.5 | 99.4 | 3.0% higher in La Crosse |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Birmingham, you'd need $99,614 in La Crosse to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Birmingham and La Crosse have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% higher in Birmingham than in La Crosse. If you earn $80,000 in Birmingham, you'd need about $79,691 in La Crosse to keep the same standard of living.