Birmingham at a glance
- Birmingham ranks 6th of 10 priced cities in United Kingdom on cost: $2,216 a month in essentials, 14% above Belfast, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $3,930 covers that 1.8×.
- PM2.5 averages 8.7 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 United Kingdom cities we track, so every row says whether Birmingham is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $2,216 | $2,170 | $46 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,109 | $1,106 | $2 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,401 | $1,361 | $40 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $171 | $172 | $0 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $462 | $460 | $2 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $381 | $361 | $20 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $93 | $104 | $10 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $3,930 | $3,352 | $578 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,701 | $1,842 | $141 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,219 | $2,527 | $308 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Birmingham, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $20.67 | $21.18 | $0.50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $101.36 | $97.36 | $4.00 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $9.34 | $10.46 | $1.12 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $5.23 | $5.08 | $0.16 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $7.00 | $7.54 | $0.54 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $6.67 | $6.67 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.53 | $2.59 | $0.06 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.93 | $1.94 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.88 | $1.75 | $0.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.82 | $1.77 | $0.05 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.49 | $2.27 | $0.22 |
| Eggs, 12 | $3.88 | $4.02 | $0.14 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $11.88 | $9.75 | $2.13 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $9.09 | $9.18 | $0.09 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.53 | $3.03 | $0.50 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.86 | $1.71 | $0.15 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.64 | $3.53 | $0.11 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.60 | $1.87 | $0.27 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.80 | $1.55 | $0.25 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.60 | $1.60 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $4.00 | $3.30 | $0.70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $93.36 | $103.37 | $10.01 |
| Taxi start | $5.07 | $5.07 | same |
| Taxi, 1 km | $2.40 | $1.96 | $0.44 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $2.07 | $2.04 | $0.03 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $332.82 | $319.00 | $13.81 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $48.60 | $41.77 | $6.84 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $21.34 | $19.34 | $2.00 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $37.34 | $45.49 | $8.15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $16.00 | $14.34 | $1.66 |
How Birmingham ranks against every city we track
Birmingham sits ahead of 87% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On salary against local costs it is ahead of 79% of 534. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 8% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Birmingham sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Stephen JG, CC BY-SA 2.0.
