Cost of Living: Birmingham, AL vs Decatur, AL

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 $4,224/mo in Decatur, AL. In the model, rent is about 21.03% of gross in Birmingham, AL versus 12.55% in Decatur, AL, so Decatur, AL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Decatur, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Decatur, AL
12.55%
COLI tier: mid-range

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

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

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

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

Median Rent

Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Decatur, AL: $818/mo

Median rent in Birmingham, AL is $554/mo higher than in Decatur, AL.

Median Home Price

Birmingham, AL: $891,300 · Decatur, AL: $190,500

Median home price in Birmingham, AL is $700,800 higher than in Decatur, AL.

Median Household Income

Birmingham, AL: $191,128 · Decatur, AL: $59,831

Birmingham, AL has a higher median household income than Decatur, AL by $131,297.

Birmingham, AL overview · Decatur, AL overview · Popular comparisons