Moving from Houston, TX to Birmingham, AL
Houston to Birmingham is a move of about 702 miles. Median rent is $1,172 a month in Birmingham and $1,430 in Houston, and the median home is $240,200 against $298,000. Houston has no state income tax, against up to 5.00% in Birmingham. Property tax runs 0.48% of home value in Birmingham and 1.61% in Houston.
Moving to Birmingham costs about
$100/mo
less than Houston each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
The move pays for itself in about 24 months
Moving costs somewhere around $2,311, and Birmingham runs about $100 a month cheaper. After roughly 24 months you are ahead.
Houston vs Birmingham at a glance
| Houston | Birmingham | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $298,000 | $240,200 |
| Median rent | $1,430/mo | $1,172/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Up to 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.61% | 0.48% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 101 | 96 |
| Utilities | 95 | 84 |
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: Houston vs Birmingham
| Monthly | Houston | Birmingham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,430 | $1,172 | -$258 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $0 | $311 | +$311 |
| Local income tax (state average) | None | $7 | +$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $92 | $58 | -$34 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,845 | $1,767 | -$78 |
| Utilities | $389 | $342 | -$47 |
| Total | -$99 | ||
Cost to move from Houston to Birmingham
$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 Texas and Alabama. 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 Birmingham, 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.