Cost of living comparison
compared to
Birmingham vs. Saint Paul Cost of Living Summary
Birmingham is 8.1% more expensive than Saint Paul.
Birmingham vs. Saint Paul Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Birmingham instead of Saint Paul, you would:
pay 0.8% less for restaurants
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$17.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.06
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$2.33
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.3% more for groceries
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.84
|
$3.04
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.80
|
$4.76
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.57
|
$3.99
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.02
|
$4.16
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.36
|
$5.04
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$2.94
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.75
|
$3.58
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$2.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$1.92
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.58
|
$2.40
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of groceries
pay 12.9% less for transportation
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.82
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$120.00
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,244.00
|
$34,617.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.98
|
$15.73
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of transportation
pay 19.8% more for housing
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.00
|
$70.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,346.25
|
$1,706.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,085.83
|
$1,224.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.60
|
$218.90
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of housing
pay 22.7% less for childcare
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,471.25
|
$1,350.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,750.00
|
$18,061.33
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of childcare
pay 5.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$5.74
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.10
|
$9.79
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.04
|
$40.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.00
|
$16.00
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 22.8% more for clothing
|
Saint Paul
|
Birmingham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$41.60
|
$58.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$38.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$80.50
|
$108.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.25
|
$137.25
|
|
Saint Paul vs. Birmingham - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Saint Paul vs. Birmingham
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 Birmingham or Saint Paul. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.