Los Angeles, CA → Birmingham, AL
You'd keep $646 more a month in Birmingham
+$7,752 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 107 households moved Los Angeles → Birmingham (avg AGI $56,486). 68 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Los Angeles | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,750 | $7,188 | −$1,562 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,378 | $1,848 | −$531 |
| Take-home pay | $6,372 | $5,340 | −$1,032 |
| Rent | $2,276 | $1,125 | −$1,151 |
| Getting around | $674 | $553 | −$121 |
| Groceries | $476 | $364 | −$112 |
| Healthcare | $536 | $410 | −$126 |
| Utilities | $298 | $228 | −$70 |
| Everything else | $417 | $319 | −$98 |
| Left over | $1,697 | $2,343 | +$646 |
To break even in Birmingham, you'd need to earn
$74,000
Household gross, versus $105,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Los Angeles does now.
The tax difference alone
+$807
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.2% in Los Angeles, 25.7% in Birmingham.
More about Birmingham
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
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 → Los Angeles →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.