When choosing a place to live or to do business, cost of living matters.
In addition to being a thriving, vibrant city, Birmingham’s cost of living is comparatively low. At 91 percent of the national average, Birmingham ranks as one of the lowest cost of living cities among Southeast metros.
Don’t take our word for it, though. Here’s what others have to say about Birmingham as one of the country’s most affordable places to live and do business
- In August 2018, Smart Asset named Birmingham one of the top 10 most affordable big cities (population more than 200,000) based off of housing costs. Average closing costs are $2,439; average annual property tax are $668; average annual homeowner’s insurance is $940; and average annual mortgage payment is $4,038.
Also in August, Birmingham was named one of City Lab’s cities where you can get the biggest bang for your buck. This piece looks at the metros with the highest adjusted salaries compared with the cost of living and, again, Birmingham was ranked in the top 10.
In April 2018, Trulia named Birmingham as a city where a paycheck goes a long way, citing an average salary of $76,886 compared to an average cost of living of $86,196.
In January 2018, Birmingham was named a top 10 housing market by owners.com.
Alabama has the best business climate in the nation according to Business Facilities, and is the No. 6 state for doing business according to Area Development.
- In 2017, publications like Zillow, Thrillist, indeed.com, Forbes and USA Today sung Birmingham’s praises for its low cost of living.
Wages in metro Birmingham are a relatively low 94 percent of the national average, and Alabama is home to the second lowest property taxes in the nation, only behind Hawaii.
Learn more by visiting the Birmingham Business Alliance’s Cost of Living and Doing Business pages on its website and find out why Birmingham has a reputation of being an affordable place to plant roots.