Moving from Birmingham, AL to Kansas City, MO
Birmingham to Kansas City is a move of about 711 miles. Median rent is $1,249 a month in Kansas City and $1,172 in Birmingham, and the median home is $287,300 against $240,200. State income tax is up to 4.70% in Kansas City and up to 5.00% in Birmingham. Property tax runs 1.09% of home value in Kansas City and 0.48% in Birmingham.
Moving to Kansas City costs
About the same
Birmingham and Kansas City work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Housing (median rent) is what separates these two cities
Of everything that changes when you move from Birmingham to Kansas City, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $77 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Birmingham vs Kansas City at a glance
| Birmingham | Kansas City | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $240,200 | $287,300 |
| Median rent | $1,172/mo | $1,249/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.00% | Up to 4.70% |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | 1.09% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 94 |
| Utilities | 84 | 89 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Birmingham vs Kansas City
| Monthly | Birmingham | Kansas City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,172 | $1,249 | +$77 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $311 | $235 | -$76 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $7 | $15 | +$8 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $58 | $60 | +$2 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,767 | $1,726 | -$41 |
| Utilities | $342 | $364 | +$22 |
| Total | -$8 | ||
Cost to move from Birmingham to Kansas City
$1,900 to $4,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $500 to $750, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so those come from Alabama and Missouri. Compare the whole states instead to see how each metro sits against the state it is in.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Kansas City, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.