Cost of Living: Birmingham, AL vs Brownsville, TX

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Birmingham, AL versus $4,516/mo in Brownsville, TX. In the model, rent is about 21.03% of gross in Birmingham, AL versus 13.1% in Brownsville, TX, so Brownsville, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Brownsville, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Brownsville, TX
13.1%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Birmingham, AL and Brownsville, TX.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Birmingham, AL: 84.6 (U.S. = 100) · Brownsville, TX: 79.8 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Brownsville, TX: $854/mo

Median rent in Birmingham, AL is $518/mo higher than in Brownsville, TX.

Median Home Price

Birmingham, AL: $891,300 · Brownsville, TX: $120,000

Median home price in Birmingham, AL is $771,300 higher than in Brownsville, TX.

Median Household Income

Birmingham, AL: $191,128 · Brownsville, TX: $51,334

Birmingham, AL has a higher median household income than Brownsville, TX by $139,794.

Birmingham, AL overview · Brownsville, TX overview · Popular comparisons