Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Birmingham's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Birmingham?
Your $100,000 in Birmingham has the same purchasing power as $117,082 in the average US city. You'd need $17,082 less here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Birmingham's cost index of 85, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Birmingham usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: living costs come in under the us baseline, the drive to work is mercifully short. Here's what's actually on the table.
Birmingham sits at 85 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 15% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $995/mo against a typical household income of $42,464, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
The average one-way commute in Birmingham is about 22 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Birmingham's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. Birmingham's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 37°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Birmingham's winter average of about 37°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Birmingham runs about 90°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 9, give or take a half-zone. Birmingham's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 9 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Birmingham is at about 607 feet (185 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Atlantic basin storms can form from June 1 to November 30, but the serious ones cluster in August, September, and the first half of October. Residents of Birmingham learn the season's rhythm fast: watch the cone, board up when it's the call, and don't shrug off the slow-mover storms — those are usually the ones that flood.
The citywide numbers are concerning — about 6,015 per 100,000 residents, well above the US average of around 3,500. As with all crime stats, the city aggregate hides huge variation between neighborhoods, but the overall picture is worse than most US cities.
No — your dollar actually goes further here. Birmingham's composite cost-of-living index is 85, roughly 15% under the US average. Housing is usually the biggest driver of the discount.
Mostly car-dependent. Birmingham's Walk Score of 45/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest. Transit Score is 30 out of 100.
Roughly $59,787 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Birmingham runs about $995/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.