Birmingham, AL vs Dallas, TX
Moving from Birmingham to Dallas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($262,556 → $366,823 median home) and taxes.
Birmingham vs Dallas at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Birmingham, AL, you'd need about $96,935 in Dallas, TX (−$3,065).
Livability — Birmingham, AL: 70 · Dallas, TX: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Birmingham vs 2,862 sqft in Dallas ($128 vs $175 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Birmingham, AL | Dallas, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,376 | $20,136 | +$2,760 |
| Groceries | $4,729 | $5,182 | +$453 |
| Transportation | $3,465 | $3,675 | +$210 |
| Utilities | $5,136 | $5,064 | −$72 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,198 | $2,870 | −$6,328 |
| Total | $40,084 | $37,107 | −$2,977 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Birmingham, AL: 9.2% · Dallas, TX: 2.9% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Birmingham, AL | Dallas, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.8 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.90% | 4.62% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -2.6% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 57 | 59 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.22 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $262,556 | $366,823 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.0% | -3.3% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $175 |
| Median rent | $1,448 | $1,678 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 9.8% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.25% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.00% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.50% | 1.76% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 73.6 yrs | 77.9 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,200 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 9.7% | 17.7% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 85 | 65 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $7,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.70% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 55 | 97 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 2 | 17 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 94% | 95% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 28 |
| Commute by driving alone | 79.3% | 71.3% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 89.2 — Relatively Moderate | 96.5 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $117 | $134 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 450 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 33 | 38 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 56.6 | 38.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 58% | 61% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |
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