City comparison
Birmingham, AL vs Palm Bay, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Palm Bay, FL are 9.1% higher than in Birmingham, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Birmingham, AL would need about $109,100 in Palm Bay, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,478 a month in Palm Bay, FL versus $1,155 in Birmingham, AL. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Palm Bay, FL and 19% in Birmingham, AL.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,735 a year higher in Birmingham, AL than in Palm Bay, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −0.3% moving from Birmingham, AL to Palm Bay, FL ($107,510 → $107,228), while prices change by +9.1%. Net effect of the transfer: −8.6% in real buying power.
- Birmingham, AL: price level 91.6 (much cheaper)
- Palm Bay, FL: price level 100.0 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Birmingham, AL | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 91.6 | 100.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $109,123 in Palm Bay | $91,639 in Birmingham |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,155/mo | $1,478/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,445 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,735 (AL) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,770 | $49,030 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
Rent areas: Birmingham-Hoover, AL HUD Metro FMR Area and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA. Metro areas: Birmingham, AL and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Birmingham | Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 71.9 | 111.7 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 83.8 | 88.1 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 91.6 | 100.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Birmingham, AL → Palm Bay, FL
Same pay buys less
Buying power −8.4%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$4,735/yr.
43 Weak offer
Palm Bay, FL → Birmingham, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +9.1%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax +$4,735/yr.
97 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Birmingham, AL is in the Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL pay area; Palm Bay, FL is in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Birmingham, AL to Palm Bay, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Birmingham, AL | Palm Bay, FL | Real change, Birmingham → Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,344 | $62,181 | −8.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $75,431 | $75,233 | −8.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $90,410 | $90,173 | −8.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $107,510 | $107,228 | −8.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $127,044 | $126,711 | −8.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Birmingham, AL | Palm Bay, FL | Palm Bay pay in Birmingham dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $62,630 | $62,510 | $57,284 (−8.5%) |
| Software Developers | $125,410 | $131,760 | $120,744 (−3.7%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $78,660 | $75,860 | $69,518 (−11.6%) |
| Registered Nurses | $78,680 | $80,900 | $74,136 (−5.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.