Overall
91.6
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Birmingham, AL
Cost-of-living indicators for Birmingham, AL, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.6
- Overall RPP
- #254
- of 387 metros
- 71.9
- Rents RPP
- $109K
- $100K national buys
Birmingham ranks #254 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Fond du Lac
The verdict
Birmingham costs less than 66% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.6, 8.4% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 71.9.
- bottom 34%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.4
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 83.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,118 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,644.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$91,644
in Birmingham, AL purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,822
$75,000 nationally
$68,733
$125,000 nationally
$114,555
$150,000 nationally
$137,466
$200,000 nationally
$183,288
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
65/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
65th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Housing-led affordability profile
How Birmingham's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Birmingham: rents index at 71.9, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 91.6.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Pueblo, CO, Cedar Rapids, IA, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX. They resemble Birmingham across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Birmingham's overall index has stayed within 1.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Birmingham vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 34% higher than 34% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Birmingham cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
71.9 RPP
- Services
Services
83.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.4 RPP
What this shows Birmingham's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 71.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 83.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Birmingham's cost comes from
Metros near Birmingham's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Birmingham (Birmingham, this metro): goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 71.9
- Fond du Lac: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 67.3
- Michigan City: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 68.5
- Des Moines: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 84.7
- Lincoln: goods RPP 94.1, rents RPP 84.2
- Evansville: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 66.7
- Pueblo: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 71.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.4
Below avg
Services
83.8
Cheap
Rents
71.9
Cheap
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Birmingham's overall RPP fell -0.1 points, from 91.8 in 2023 to 91.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 90.0 to 83.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 2.8 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Birmingham overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 92.7 |
| 2009 | 91.5 |
| 2010 | 93.3 |
| 2011 | 94.3 |
| 2012 | 93.7 |
| 2013 | 93.9 |
| 2014 | 93.2 |
| 2015 | 93.1 |
| 2016 | 94.1 |
| 2017 | 92.8 |
| 2018 | 90.1 |
| 2019 | 90.9 |
| 2020 | 91.4 |
| 2021 | 90.4 |
| 2022 | 91.0 |
| 2023 | 91.8 |
| 2024 | 91.6 |
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Birmingham, AL's index of 91.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
AL-relative analysis
Goods prices places Birmingham, AL near the bottom of AL's metros
Among the 12 AL metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Birmingham, AL ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Birmingham, AL only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 12
0th percentile in AL
Services prices
#11 of 12
8th percentile in AL
Rent prices
#3 of 12
75th percentile in AL
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within AL only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Birmingham, AL: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (91.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (71.9 here).
Other AL Metros
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 94.7 Huntsville, AL 93.1 Montgomery, AL 89.7 Mobile, AL 88.1 Auburn-Opelika, AL 87.9 Tuscaloosa, AL 87.7
View all AL metros → Cheapest in AL → Most expensive in AL →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Birmingham's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Pueblo, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 81.9 · Rents 71.3 Cedar Rapids, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.0 · Rents 71.4 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.1 · Rents 70.9 El Paso, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.6 · Rents 71.2 Fort Wayne, IN
Goods 94.3 · Services 86.2 · Rents 72.3 Sebring, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 86.8 · Rents 73.5
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Birmingham
How to read Birmingham's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $109,118 in Birmingham. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 71.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Birmingham head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Birmingham, AL?
Birmingham, AL has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.6, meaning it is 8.4% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.4, services at 83.8, and rents at 71.9. It ranks #254 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Birmingham, AL to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,644 in Birmingham, AL. Conversely, $100K earned in Birmingham, AL has the purchasing power of $109,118 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Birmingham, AL?
Rents in Birmingham, AL are indexed at 71.9, which is 28.1% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Birmingham, AL getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Birmingham, AL's overall cost index changed by -1.0 points (from 92.7 to 91.6). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Birmingham, AL?
The priciest category in Birmingham, AL is goods at 96.4, 3.6% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 71.9, 28.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Birmingham, AL?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Fond du Lac, Michigan City-La Porte, Des Moines-West Des Moines. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Birmingham, AL's 91.6.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.