Birmingham, AL vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Birmingham to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($262,556 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Birmingham vs Phoenix at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Birmingham, AL, you'd need about $114,070 in Phoenix, AZ (+$14,070).
Livability — Birmingham, AL: 71 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Birmingham vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($128 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Birmingham, AL | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,376 | $20,904 | +$3,528 |
| Groceries | $4,729 | $4,919 | +$190 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,960 | +$495 |
| Utilities | $1,884 | $1,668 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,800 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $9,314 | $7,280 | −$2,033 |
| Total | $39,168 | $40,531 | +$1,363 |
Side by side
| Metric | Birmingham, AL | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.8 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.90% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -2.6% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 57 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.22 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $262,556 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.0% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,448 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.25% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.00% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.50% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,200 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $7,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.70% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 33 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |