$90,000 in Charleston ≈ $81,624 in Birmingham
$81,624
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (101 → 91.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Birmingham run −9.3% vs Charleston for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in Charleston Chief Executives in Birmingham
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in Charleston Architectural and Engineering Managers in Birmingham
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in Charleston Computer and Information Systems Managers in Birmingham
- Financial Managers in Charleston Financial Managers in Birmingham
- Lawyers in Charleston Lawyers in Birmingham
- Charleston RPP
- 101
- Birmingham RPP
- 91.6
- Price gap
- −9.3%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Birmingham run −9.3% versus Charleston on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Charleston maps to about $81,624 in Birmingham for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Birmingham
| In Charleston | In Birmingham |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $54,416 |
| $90,000 | $81,624 |
| $150,000 | $136,040 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (91.6 ÷ 101). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | Charleston | Birmingham | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 101.0 | 91.6 | 100 |
| Goods | 96.3 | 96.4 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 119.8 | 71.9 | 100 |
| Other services | 98.3 | 96.7 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | Charleston | Birmingham | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $197,220 | $167,080 | $137,220 to $237,650 | 190 | −15.3% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $174,040 | $166,670 | $133,650 to $231,140 | 600 | −4.2% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $167,000 | $140,230 | $107,430 to $176,560 | 2,230 | −16.0% |
| Financial Managers | $147,170 | $153,930 | $120,620 to $211,540 | 2,700 | +4.6% |
| Lawyers | $127,280 | $170,230 | $100,270 to $213,600 | 2,800 | +33.7% |
| Pharmacists | $145,950 | $138,800 | $127,520 to $151,700 | 1,550 | −4.9% |
| Managers, All Other | $136,370 | $138,360 | $89,500 to $177,530 | 300 | +1.5% |
| Computer Network Architects | $137,930 | $131,140 | $98,650 to $152,690 | 880 | −4.9% |
BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.
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FAQ
- What salary do I need in Birmingham to match $90,000 in Charleston?
- About $81,624, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 101 and 91.6. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
- What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
- BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
- How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
- BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
- Does this include taxes or benefits?
- No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.
What this covers
Includes
- BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
- BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
- Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)
Does not include
- Federal, state, or local income taxes
- Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
- Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand
See methodology and disclaimer.