Cost of Living: Birmingham, AL vs Los Angeles, CA

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 $3,974/mo in Los Angeles, CA. In the model, rent is about 21.03% of gross in Birmingham, AL versus 25.99% in Los Angeles, CA, so Birmingham, AL tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Los Angeles, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Los Angeles, CA
25.99%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Birmingham, AL and Los Angeles, CA.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Birmingham, AL: 84.6 (U.S. = 100) · Los Angeles, CA: 148.6 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Los Angeles, CA: $1,695/mo

Median rent in Los Angeles, CA is $323/mo higher than in Birmingham, AL.

Median Home Price

Birmingham, AL: $891,300 · Los Angeles, CA: $657,700

Median home price in Birmingham, AL is $233,600 higher than in Los Angeles, CA.

Median Household Income

Birmingham, AL: $191,128 · Los Angeles, CA: $74,785

Birmingham, AL has a higher median household income than Los Angeles, CA by $116,343.

Birmingham, AL overview · Los Angeles, CA overview · Popular comparisons