Cost of living comparison
compared to
Raleigh vs. Birmingham Cost of Living Summary
Raleigh is 6.5% more expensive than Birmingham.
Raleigh vs. Birmingham Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Raleigh instead of Birmingham, you would:
pay 2.8% more for restaurants
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.36
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.33
|
$2.07
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.0% more for groceries
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.34
|
$4.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.25
|
$6.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.98
|
$3.35
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.16
|
$4.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.48
|
$5.21
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.76
|
$2.89
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
|
$0.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.27
|
$2.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.94
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$1.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.28
|
$1.93
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of groceries
pay 10.9% less for transportation
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
|
$3.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$80.00
|
$45.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,026.16
|
$34,689.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.73
|
$14.90
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of transportation
pay 11.1% more for housing
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$54.28
|
$67.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,617.33
|
$1,775.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,208.33
|
$1,470.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$162.04
|
$142.76
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of housing
pay 26.1% more for childcare
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,233.33
|
$1,490.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,342.00
|
$24,083.25
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of childcare
pay 5.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.74
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.23
|
$7.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.75
|
$40.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.8% more for clothing
|
Birmingham
|
Raleigh
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.33
|
$51.78
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.67
|
$48.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.33
|
$103.08
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
|
$137.22
|
|
Birmingham vs. Raleigh - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: October 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Birmingham vs. Raleigh
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Raleigh or Birmingham. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.