SalaryCompareTool

Birmingham, AL vs Philadelphia, PA

Moving from Birmingham to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($262,556 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.

Birmingham vs Philadelphia at a glance

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

Birmingham, AL Philadelphia, PA Cost-of-living index Birmingham, AL — Cost-of-living index: 92 92 Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Median home price Birmingham, AL — Median home price: $263k $263k Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Price per sqft Birmingham, AL — Price per sqft: $128 $128 Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Median rent Birmingham, AL — Median rent: $1,448 $1,448 Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Combined sales tax Birmingham, AL — Combined sales tax: 9.3% 9.3% Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Property tax rate Birmingham, AL — Property tax rate: 0.50% 0.50% Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Violent crime /100k Birmingham, AL — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Electricity ¢/kWh Birmingham, AL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.4 17.4 Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Avg commute (min) Birmingham, AL — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Avg summer high °F Birmingham, AL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Avg winter low °F Birmingham, AL — Avg winter low °F: 33° 33° Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Birmingham, AL, you'd need about $111,549 in Philadelphia, PA (+$11,549).

Livability — Birmingham, AL: 71 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Birmingham vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($128 vs $223 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBirmingham, ALPhiladelphia, PADifference
Housing $17,376 $22,968 +$5,592
Groceries $4,729 $4,909 +$180
Transportation $3,465 $3,440 −$25
Utilities $1,884 $2,316 +$432
Insurance $2,400 $1,200 −$1,200
Taxes $9,314 $10,192 +$879
Total $39,168 $45,025 +$5,857

Side by side

MetricBirmingham, ALPhiladelphia, PA
Cost-of-living index91.8102.4
Unemployment rate4.90%6.12%
Population growth (5-yr)-2.6%2.8%
Air quality (median AQI)5753
Big Mac price (est.)$5.22$5.82
Median home price$262,556$390,463
Home price ÷ income3.8×4.6×
1-yr home appreciation2.0%2.5%
Price per square foot$128$223
Median rent$1,448$1,914
Total tax burden (% income)9.8%10.6%
Combined sales tax9.25%6.34%
Capital gains tax5.00%3.07%
Property tax rate0.50%1.61%
Healthcare (annual)$6,200$7,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$7,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax0.70%None
Avg commute (min)2729
Home insurance / yr$2,400$1,200
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$800$650
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh17.421.5
Gas $/gal2.953.55
Violent crime /100k450390
Avg summer high °F9185
Avg winter low °F3322
Permit difficulty (1–5)23
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