Cost of Living: Birmingham, AL vs Philadelphia, PA

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 $4,337/mo in Philadelphia, PA. In the model, rent is about 21.03% of gross in Birmingham, AL versus 19.29% in Philadelphia, PA, so Philadelphia, PA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Birmingham, AL
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Philadelphia, PA
$4,337/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Birmingham, AL
21.03%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Philadelphia, PA
19.29%
COLI tier: mid-range

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

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Birmingham, AL: 84.6 (U.S. = 100) · Philadelphia, PA: 95.2 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Birmingham, AL: $1,372/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Philadelphia, PA: $1,257/mo

Median rent in Birmingham, AL is $115/mo higher than in Philadelphia, PA.

Median Home Price

Birmingham, AL: $891,300 · Philadelphia, PA: $232,400

Median home price in Birmingham, AL is $658,900 higher than in Philadelphia, PA.

Median Household Income

Birmingham, AL: $191,128 · Philadelphia, PA: $60,698

Birmingham, AL has a higher median household income than Philadelphia, PA by $130,430.

Birmingham, AL overview · Philadelphia, PA overview · Popular comparisons