SalaryCompareTool

Birmingham, AL vs San Diego, CA

Moving from Birmingham to San Diego? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($262,556 → $946,365 median home) and taxes.

Birmingham vs San Diego at a glance

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

Birmingham, AL San Diego, CA Cost-of-living index Birmingham, AL — Cost-of-living index: 92 92 San Diego, CA — Cost-of-living index: 111 111 Median home price Birmingham, AL — Median home price: $263k $263k San Diego, CA — Median home price: $946k $946k Price per sqft Birmingham, AL — Price per sqft: $128 $128 San Diego, CA — Price per sqft: $631 $631 Median rent Birmingham, AL — Median rent: $1,448 $1,448 San Diego, CA — Median rent: $2,951 $2,951 Combined sales tax Birmingham, AL — Combined sales tax: 9.3% 9.3% San Diego, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Birmingham, AL — Property tax rate: 0.50% 0.50% San Diego, CA — Property tax rate: 0.72% 0.72% Violent crime /100k Birmingham, AL — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 San Diego, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Birmingham, AL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.4 17.4 San Diego, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Birmingham, AL — Avg commute (min): 27 27 San Diego, CA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Birmingham, AL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° San Diego, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Birmingham, AL — Avg winter low °F: 33° 33° San Diego, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Birmingham, AL, you'd need about $120,679 in San Diego, CA (+$20,679).

Livability — Birmingham, AL: 71 · San Diego, CA: 44 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Birmingham vs 793 sqft in San Diego ($128 vs $631 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBirmingham, ALSan Diego, CADifference
Housing $17,376 $35,412 +$18,036
Groceries $4,729 $5,112 +$383
Transportation $3,465 $5,125 +$1,660
Utilities $1,884 $3,804 +$1,920
Insurance $2,400 $1,500 −$900
Taxes $9,314 $21,601 +$12,288
Total $39,168 $72,554 +$33,387

Side by side

MetricBirmingham, ALSan Diego, CA
Cost-of-living index91.8110.7
Unemployment rate4.90%6.34%
Population growth (5-yr)-2.6%0.2%
Air quality (median AQI)5771
Big Mac price (est.)$5.22$6.30
Median home price$262,556$946,365
Home price ÷ income3.8×9.8×
1-yr home appreciation2.0%-1.1%
Price per square foot$128$631
Median rent$1,448$2,951
Total tax burden (% income)9.8%13.5%
Combined sales tax9.25%8.82%
Capital gains tax5.00%13.30%
Property tax rate0.50%0.72%
Healthcare (annual)$6,200$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$7,000$19,000
Vehicle property tax0.70%0.65%
Avg commute (min)2726
Home insurance / yr$2,400$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$800$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$950
Electricity ¢/kWh17.435.3
Gas $/gal2.954.85
Violent crime /100k450500
Avg summer high °F9184
Avg winter low °F3345
Permit difficulty (1–5)25
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