same $100k income, fresh start from Des Moines
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
more expensive each month than Des Moines
Barely costlier than Des Moines. If Birmingham pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
a quick ledger.
$1,407/mo
11% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)
5%
$83/mo less in state tax than Des Moines
vs 6% in Des Moines
$6,510/mo
$55 less than Des Moines
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$261k
13% cheaper than Des Moines
vs $300k in Des Moines
1.2M
vs 737k in Des Moines
field notes, weather & such.
171
pleasant days a year, in birmingham.
Des Moines only logs 151 pleasant days. Hot stretches show up, though: 28 days above 95° here, 7 in Des Moines.
2.0× the events of Des Moines, and the calendar shows it.
61/100
11% higher than Des Moines
vs 55/100 in Des Moines
Closest outdoor draw: Oak Mountain State Park, 12.8 mi.
79/100
1% higher than Des Moines
vs 78/100 in Des Moines
20
18% more than Des Moines
vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines
neighbors of birmingham on the map of tradeoffs:
compare birmingham with:
