SalaryCompareTool

Austin, TX vs Birmingham, AL

Moving from Austin to Birmingham? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($428,524 → $262,556 median home) and taxes.

Austin vs Birmingham at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Austin, TX Birmingham, AL Cost-of-living index Austin, TX — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Birmingham, AL — Cost-of-living index: 92 92 Median home price Austin, TX — Median home price: $429k $429k Birmingham, AL — Median home price: $263k $263k Price per sqft Austin, TX — Price per sqft: $204 $204 Birmingham, AL — Price per sqft: $128 $128 Median rent Austin, TX — Median rent: $1,635 $1,635 Birmingham, AL — Median rent: $1,448 $1,448 Combined sales tax Austin, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Birmingham, AL — Combined sales tax: 9.3% 9.3% Property tax rate Austin, TX — Property tax rate: 1.71% 1.71% Birmingham, AL — Property tax rate: 0.50% 0.50% Violent crime /100k Austin, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Birmingham, AL — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Electricity ¢/kWh Austin, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Birmingham, AL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.4 17.4 Avg commute (min) Austin, TX — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Birmingham, AL — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Austin, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Birmingham, AL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° Avg winter low °F Austin, TX — Avg winter low °F: 38° 38° Birmingham, AL — Avg winter low °F: 33° 33°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Austin, TX, you'd need about $93,375 in Birmingham, AL (−$6,625).

Livability — Austin, TX: 70 · Birmingham, AL: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,450 sqft in Austin vs 3,903 sqft in Birmingham ($204 vs $128 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryAustin, TXBirmingham, ALDifference
Housing $19,620 $17,376 −$2,244
Groceries $4,647 $4,729 +$83
Transportation $3,675 $3,465 −$210
Utilities $1,836 $1,884 +$48
Insurance $3,600 $2,400 −$1,200
Taxes $9,558 $9,314 −$244
Total $42,936 $39,168 −$3,768

Side by side

MetricAustin, TXBirmingham, AL
Cost-of-living index98.391.8
Unemployment rate4.30%4.90%
Population growth (5-yr)14.8%-2.6%
Air quality (median AQI)5257
Big Mac price (est.)$5.59$5.22
Median home price$428,524$262,556
Home price ÷ income4.6×3.8×
1-yr home appreciation-6.0%2.0%
Price per square foot$204$128
Median rent$1,635$1,448
Total tax burden (% income)8.6%9.8%
Combined sales tax8.20%9.25%
Capital gains taxNone5.00%
Property tax rate1.71%0.50%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$9,500$7,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.70%
Avg commute (min)2727
Home insurance / yr$3,600$2,400
Auto insurance / yr$2,100$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$900$800
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh17.017.4
Gas $/gal3.002.95
Violent crime /100k430450
Avg summer high °F9691
Avg winter low °F3833
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
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