Real Estate Sales Agents salary in Birmingham, AL
Median pay for real estate sales agents in Birmingham, AL: $55,110/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $39,840 – $74,280 · about 770 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($50,020) by +$5,090 (+10%).
What it's really worth in Birmingham
With Birmingham's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $55,110 has the buying power of about $60,056 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $68,329 · median home $262,556 · median rent $1,448/mo.
How Birmingham ranks for this job
On raw pay, Birmingham, AL is 65th of the 167 metros we hold real estate sales agents wages for. Once Birmingham's cost of living is applied, it ranks 41st.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Birmingham is one of the places where real estate sales agents gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Birmingham
A median home in Birmingham, AL costs $262,556 — about 4.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,448/mo works out at 32% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where real estate sales agents earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Birmingham.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Birmingham | Rent vs Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $103,960 | +89% | 2.4× |
| Buffalo, NY | $83,670 | +52% | 1× |
| Rochester, NY | $83,200 | +51% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $80,950 | +47% | 1.5× |
Same job elsewhere in AL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Birmingham | Rent vs Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $60,170 | +9% | 1× |
| Mobile, AL | $59,120 | +7% | 0.9× |
| Huntsville, AL | $58,820 | +7% | 1× |
| Montgomery, AL | $45,560 | −17% | 1× |
Staying in AL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires real estate sales agents around Birmingham
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Regions Financial · Finance
- Books-A-Million · Retail
Other jobs in Birmingham
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 167 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.