Auburn vs Birmingham
The short version
- Auburn is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Birmingham area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $158,800 in Birmingham and $364,800 in Auburn.
- Households earn more in Auburn ($63,668 vs $46,051 median).
- Auburn is growing faster: +11.1% since 2020 vs -2.3%.
Side by side
| Auburn, AL | Birmingham, AL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,113 | 195,893 |
| Growth since 2020 | +11.1% | -2.3% |
| People per square mile | 1,352 | 1,332 |
| Median age | 25.9 | 35.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 64% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $63,668 | $46,051 |
| Median home value | $364,800 | $158,800 |
| Home value to income | 5.7× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,098 | $1,107 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 87.9 | 91.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 62.1 | 71.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $65,900 | $68,700 |
| Homeowners | 53% | 46% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | 5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.46% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.9 | 20.8 |
| Work from home | 11% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.2% | 5.8% |
| Poverty rate | 25.4% | 24.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 56° / 35° | 55° / 35° |
| July high / low | 89° / 71° | 91° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 57 in | 57 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 1 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 49 | 65 |
| Nights below freezing | 44 | 47 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 79.7 | 97.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 43% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.3% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +38.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Auburn: May and September to November. Birmingham: September to November.
Full monthly tables: Auburn weather by month and Birmingham weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $65,900 in Auburn and $68,700 in Birmingham. Moving from Auburn to Birmingham, you would need about $78,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Auburn and Birmingham
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Auburn and Birmingham.
Which would you pick?
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