Cost of Living: Birmingham, AL vs Knoxville, TN

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 Knoxville, TN. In the model, rent is about 21.03% of gross in Birmingham, AL versus 16.27% in Knoxville, TN, so Knoxville, TN tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Knoxville, TN
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Knoxville, TN
16.27%
COLI tier: mid-range

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

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Birmingham, AL: 84.6 (U.S. = 100) · Knoxville, TN: 92.2 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Knoxville, TN: $1,061/mo

Median rent in Birmingham, AL is $311/mo higher than in Knoxville, TN.

Median Home Price

Birmingham, AL: $891,300 · Knoxville, TN: $214,000

Median home price in Birmingham, AL is $677,300 higher than in Knoxville, TN.

Median Household Income

Birmingham, AL: $191,128 · Knoxville, TN: $50,994

Birmingham, AL has a higher median household income than Knoxville, TN by $140,134.

Birmingham, AL overview · Knoxville, TN overview · Popular comparisons