Cost of Living: Bethesda, MD vs Birmingham, AL

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Bethesda, MD versus $4,224/mo in Birmingham, AL. In the model, rent is about 35.5% of gross in Bethesda, MD versus 21.03% in Birmingham, AL, so Birmingham, AL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Bethesda, MD
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Bethesda, MD
35.5%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Bethesda, MD and Birmingham, AL.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Birmingham, AL
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Birmingham, AL
  • Lower home prices: Birmingham, AL
  • Higher median household income: Bethesda, MD

Cost of Living Index

Bethesda, MD: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Birmingham, AL: 84.6 (U.S. = 100)

Birmingham, AL has a lower cost-of-living index than Bethesda, MD, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Bethesda, MD: $2,315/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo

Median rent in Bethesda, MD is $943/mo higher than in Birmingham, AL.

Median Home Price

Bethesda, MD: $1,129,700 · Birmingham, AL: $891,300

Median home price in Bethesda, MD is $238,400 higher than in Birmingham, AL.

Median Household Income

Bethesda, MD: $191,348 · Birmingham, AL: $191,128

Bethesda, MD has a higher median household income than Birmingham, AL by $220.

Bethesda, MD overview · Birmingham, AL overview · Popular comparisons