SalaryCompareTool

New York, NY vs Birmingham, AL

Moving from New York to Birmingham? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($727,625 → $262,556 median home) and taxes.

New York vs Birmingham at a glance

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

New York, NY Birmingham, AL Cost-of-living index New York, NY — Cost-of-living index: 113 113 Birmingham, AL — Cost-of-living index: 92 92 Median home price New York, NY — Median home price: $728k $728k Birmingham, AL — Median home price: $263k $263k Price per sqft New York, NY — Price per sqft: $455 $455 Birmingham, AL — Price per sqft: $128 $128 Median rent New York, NY — Median rent: $3,503 $3,503 Birmingham, AL — Median rent: $1,448 $1,448 Combined sales tax New York, NY — Combined sales tax: 8.5% 8.5% Birmingham, AL — Combined sales tax: 9.3% 9.3% Property tax rate New York, NY — Property tax rate: 1.74% 1.74% Birmingham, AL — Property tax rate: 0.50% 0.50% Violent crime /100k New York, NY — Violent crime /100k: 350 350 Birmingham, AL — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Electricity ¢/kWh New York, NY — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Birmingham, AL — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.4 17.4 Avg commute (min) New York, NY — Avg commute (min): 36 36 Birmingham, AL — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F New York, NY — Avg summer high °F: 83° 83° Birmingham, AL — Avg summer high °F: 91° 91° Avg winter low °F New York, NY — Avg winter low °F: 16° 16° Birmingham, AL — Avg winter low °F: 33° 33°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in New York, NY, you'd need about $81,464 in Birmingham, AL (−$18,536).

Livability — New York, NY: 44 · Birmingham, AL: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,099 sqft in New York vs 3,903 sqft in Birmingham ($455 vs $128 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryNew York, NYBirmingham, ALDifference
Housing $42,036 $17,376 −$24,660
Groceries $5,415 $4,729 −$685
Transportation $3,895 $3,465 −$430
Utilities $3,180 $1,884 −$1,296
Insurance $1,600 $2,400 +$800
Taxes $23,496 $9,314 −$14,182
Total $79,622 $39,168 −$40,454

Side by side

MetricNew York, NYBirmingham, AL
Cost-of-living index112.691.8
Unemployment rate6.55%4.90%
Population growth (5-yr)-1.4%-2.6%
Air quality (median AQI)5257
Big Mac price (est.)$6.41$5.22
Median home price$727,625$262,556
Home price ÷ income7.8×3.8×
1-yr home appreciation4.1%2.0%
Price per square foot$455$128
Median rent$3,503$1,448
Total tax burden (% income)15.9%9.8%
Combined sales tax8.52%9.25%
Capital gains tax10.90%5.00%
Property tax rate1.74%0.50%
Healthcare (annual)$7,800$6,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$17,000$7,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.70%
Avg commute (min)3627
Home insurance / yr$1,600$2,400
Auto insurance / yr$2,100$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$800$800
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh29.417.4
Gas $/gal3.452.95
Violent crime /100k350450
Avg summer high °F8391
Avg winter low °F1633
Permit difficulty (1–5)52
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