$100k a year, no longer in Chicago
changea dispatch from
birmingham
AL
33.52°N
86.80°W
Birmingham was built on steel and reshaped by the civil rights movement, and you can feel both stories in the city. The Civil Rights Institute is essential, the food scene (Highlands Bar and Grill, Hot and Hot Fish Club, plenty more) is one of the most acclaimed in the South. The Vulcan statue, the largest cast-iron statue in the world, looks down on the city from Red Mountain. Younger than its reputation suggests.
the verdict
cheaper each month than Chicago
Not a fortune, but real money. Birmingham runs cheaper than Chicago month over month.
a quick ledger.
$1,407/mo
35% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)
5%
$4/mo more in state tax than Chicago
vs 4.95% in Chicago
$6,510/mo
$759 more than Chicago
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$261k
29% cheaper than Chicago
vs $365k in Chicago
1.2M
vs 9.3M in Chicago
field notes, weather & such.
171
pleasant days a year, in birmingham.
Chicago only manages 153 of those. Warm, not extreme: 28 days clear 95°, vs 1 back in Chicago.
93% fewer events than Chicago. The pace eases up.
61/100
13% lower than Chicago
vs 70/100 in Chicago
Closest outdoor draw: Oak Mountain State Park, 12.8 mi.
79/100
21% lower than Chicago
vs 100/100 in Chicago
20
91% fewer than Chicago
vs 217 nonstops in Chicago
in the same ballpark as birmingham:
compare birmingham with:
