$90,000 in Seattle ≈ $74,203 in Birmingham

$74,203

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (111.1 → 91.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Birmingham run −17.6% vs Seattle for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Seattle RPP
111.1
Birmingham RPP
91.6
Price gap
−17.6%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Birmingham run −17.6% versus Seattle on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Seattle maps to about $74,203 in Birmingham for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Birmingham: $74,203

Live math: salary × (91.6 ÷ 111.1). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Birmingham

In SeattleIn Birmingham
$60,000$49,469
$90,000$74,203
$150,000$123,672

Equivalent = origin salary × (91.6 ÷ 111.1). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentSeattleBirminghamUS
All items111.191.6100
Goods104.096.4100
Housing (rents)151.371.9100
Other services106.896.7100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationSeattleBirminghamDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Physicians, All Other$330,560$237,040$139,280 to $341,3801,420−28.3%
Chief Executives$370,000$167,080$137,220 to $237,650190−54.8%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$204,340$166,670$133,650 to $231,140600−18.4%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$214,680$140,230$107,430 to $176,5602,230−34.7%
Financial Managers$185,550$153,930$120,620 to $211,5402,700−17.0%
Lawyers$164,980$170,230$100,270 to $213,6002,800+3.2%
Managers, All Other$168,980$138,360$89,500 to $177,530300−18.1%
Marketing Managers$175,850$130,160$94,840 to $173,170660−26.0%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Birmingham to match $90,000 in Seattle?
About $74,203, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 111.1 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.