Birmingham → Lima
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Pros of Moving
- + $158/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - More expensive childcare
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Birmingham to Lima shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 91.6 to 89.7 (100 = US average), so a Birmingham salary needs to be multiplied by 0.98 to hold the same purchasing power in Lima. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,266/month in Birmingham to $1,108/month in Lima - a lower monthly bill of $158, or $1,896/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $63,237 in Birmingham versus $61,326 in Lima - a raw gap of $1,911 lower. The Lima labor market has 43,810 tracked jobs against 497,490 in Birmingham, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Birmingham and Lima are 376 and 293 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 17.7:1 at origin versus 18.2:1 at destination. DOL center-based infant care costs $6,896/year in Birmingham versus $11,791/year in Lima. Our composite verdict - Neutral — Depends on Priorities - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Birmingham to see what you'd need to earn in Lima to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lima more expensive than Birmingham?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.