Chattanooga, TN → Birmingham, AL
Moving to Birmingham costs you $210 a month
−$2,520 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 62 households moved Chattanooga → Birmingham (avg AGI $75,790). 76 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Chattanooga | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $7,193 | +$235 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,364 | $1,850 | +$485 |
| Take-home pay | $5,594 | $5,343 | −$251 |
| Rent | $1,150 | $1,125 | −$25 |
| Getting around | $554 | $553 | −$1 |
| Groceries | $368 | $364 | −$4 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $410 | −$4 |
| Utilities | $230 | $228 | −$2 |
| Everything else | $322 | $319 | −$3 |
| Left over | $2,556 | $2,346 | −$210 |
To break even in Birmingham, you'd need to earn
$90,000
Household gross, versus $83,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Chattanooga does now.
The tax difference alone
−$4,989
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.6% in Chattanooga, 25.7% in Birmingham.
More about Birmingham
Chattanooga, TN in full
World-class climbing and paddling, no income tax, municipal fiber.
Birmingham, AL in full
The lowest property tax rate in the country, on cheap houses.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Birmingham on Birmingham wages.
Birmingham → Chattanooga →Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.