USA, Birmingham AL

Country Full Name: United States of America.

Country Location: The United States of America (USA) is in North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico.

Country Climate: Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Country Terrain: Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii.

Country Major Languages: English.

Country Major Religions: Christianity.

Location Population: 1.13 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the United States is a capitalist mixed economy, fuelled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. The U.S. economy is the largest national economy in the world, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) equal to a quarter of nominal global GDP and a fifth of global GDP at purchasing power parity.

Country Currency: US Dollar (USD).

Country Inflation: 2.2% (2012 est.).

Birmingham AL is the largest city in Alabama.

Birmingham's economy is still dominated by steel production and processing. Several of the nation's largest steelmakers have a major presence in Birmingham. Bio-technology and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its adjacent hospital providing health care and breakthrough medical research has made UAB the area's largest employer and the second largest in Alabama. Health care services providers are also prominent. Birmingham is also a leading banking centre.

The cost of living in Birmingham AL is very low compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for Birmingham AL is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for Birmingham AL is 674 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very low compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 710 places that are more expensive, and 69 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 731 places that are more expensive, and 48 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are low compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 526 places that are more expensive, and 253 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are high compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 234 places that are more expensive, and 545 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 738 places that are more expensive, and 41 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are low compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 554 places that are more expensive, and 225 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are average compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 424 places that are more expensive, and 355 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 674 places that are more expensive, and 105 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 707 places that are more expensive, and 72 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 631 places that are more expensive, and 148 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very low compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 715 places that are more expensive, and 64 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 672 places that are more expensive, and 107 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are average compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 424 places that are more expensive, and 355 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

Birmingham AL is ranked as minimal hardship with a typical hardship premium of 10%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

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