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Jefferson County · Alabama

Birmingham cost of living (AL)

Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Birmingham, AL, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.

Cash, receipts and a calculator on a table, illustrating local cost of living data

Quick answer

Birmingham costs 8.4% below the national average — all-items price level 91.6, rank 82 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $91,644 here. Housing is the reason, at 71.9.

All items
91.6US average = 100
Housing
71.928.1% below the national average
Goods
96.43.6% below the national average
Other services
96.73.3% below the national average

Price level by component

Where the difference actually comes from.

ComponentIndexvs USWhat it covers
Goods96.4-3.6%Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases.
Housing71.9-28.1%Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor.
Utilities83.8-16.2%Electricity, gas, water and other household energy.
Other services96.7-3.3%Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services.

What your salary is worth in Birmingham, AL

Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (91.6 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.

Real value here
$48,328
Needed to match US average
$40,589
Monthly difference
$-308

What a local paycheck is really worth

Nominal pay is only half the story.

$44,290 median household income in Birmingham is worth $48,328 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 91.6.

Run your own salary through the comparison tool →

Other Birmingham datasets on this site.

Statewide: Alabama cities · Alabama ZIP codes · Alabama sales tax · Alabama counties

Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities

2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Birmingham, AL. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.