Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birmingham, AL and Hengelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Hengelo: $2,186 a month against $2,687 in Birmingham, AL, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Birmingham, AL
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Birmingham, AL Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index

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Birmingham, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,687

/mo nomad

Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Birmingham, AL and in Hengelo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Birmingham, AL and in Hengelo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,687 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $2,186 in Hengelo, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $2,687
Hengelo $2,186

A couple spends around $3,981 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $3,524 in Hengelo, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $3,981
Hengelo $3,524

A family of three spends $5,275 per month in Birmingham, AL vs $4,862 in Hengelo, rent included.

Birmingham, AL $5,275
Hengelo $4,862

Birmingham, AL costs about 23% more than Hengelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Birmingham, AL and Hengelo sit above the global median – Birmingham, AL by 98%, Hengelo by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 $17.57

$22.67 €20.16

-22.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.5 $70.5

$83.3 €74.1

-15.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 $8.85

$13.26 €11.79

-33.26%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.01 €3.57

39.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.81 €3.39

-29.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.86 €2.55

-17.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$6.27 €5.58

-21.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$6.49 €5.78

-9.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.34 €1.20

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.46 €2.18

25.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.64 €2.35

73.86%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$4.34 €3.86

-1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$14.05 €12.50

-30.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 $10.88

$13.81 €12.29

-21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 $16.01

$14.57 €12.96

9.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.39 $6.39

$2.82 €2.51

126.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.23 €1.98

-38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.03 $8.03

$2.13 €1.89

277.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$3.66 €3.26

51.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.87 €1.66

119.79%

Onion (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$1.88 €1.67

176.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.21 €1.07

135.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.70 €0.63

304.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.65 $8.65

$13.87 €12.34

-37.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$6.58 €5.86

123.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.36 €1.21

73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.68 €2.39

36.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$5.12 €4.55

-71.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.8 $78.8

$90.1 €80.2

-12.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.62 €3.22

-17.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.58 €2.29

-37.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.96 $29.96

$44.23 €39.34

-32.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.53 €2.25

-63.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K $26.9K

$41.1K €36.6K

-34.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.6K €34.4K

-32.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$284 $284

$268 €238

5.96%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$78.2 $78.2

$21.74 €19.34

259.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$48.06 €42.75

46.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.26 $39.26

$29.68 €26.40

32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 $20.10

$23.66 €21.04

-15.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.79 $15.79

$15.93 €14.17

-0.88%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,365 $1,365

$1,222 €1,087

11.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K $17.8K

$7,960 €7,081

123.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 $57.8

$94.1 €83.7

-38.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 $39.09

$44.61 €39.68

-12.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$93.0 €82.7

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$125 €111

10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 $1,716

$1,300 €1,156

32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 $1,217

$836 €743

45.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,975 $2,975

$2,399 €2,134

24.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,147 $2,147

$1,867 €1,660

15.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,030 $3,030

$5,317 €4,729

-43.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,891 $1,891

$4,422 €3,934

-57.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,274 $3,274

$2,639 €2,348

24.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.2

59.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Birmingham, AL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hengelo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Birmingham, AL

$1.2K 45.3%

Hengelo

$836 38.3% 31.3% $382

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birmingham, AL

$432 16.1%

Hengelo

$338 15.5% 21.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Birmingham, AL

$425 15.8%

Hengelo

$323 14.8% 23.9% $102

Eating Out

Birmingham, AL

$291 10.8%

Hengelo

$340 15.6% 17.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Birmingham, AL

$155 5.8%

Hengelo

$160 7.3% 3.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Birmingham, AL

$96 3.6%

Hengelo

$127 5.8% 32.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Birmingham, AL

$71 2.6%

Hengelo

$62 2.8% 13.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,716 in Birmingham, AL versus $1,300 in Hengelo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Birmingham, AL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Birmingham, AL versus $83.0 in Hengelo. Groceries tell a different story – $425 in Birmingham, AL vs $323 in Hengelo – so Hengelo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Birmingham, AL

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

7 h ahead of Birmingham, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,733

81,140

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Birmingham, AL Hengelo 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Birmingham, AL
Hengelo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Birmingham, AL vs Hengelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,687 in Birmingham, AL, $2,186 in Hengelo – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,030 per month in Birmingham, AL and $3,279 in Hengelo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hengelo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,687 in Birmingham, AL and $2,186 in Hengelo. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Hengelo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Hengelo, where all-in costs run around $2,186, than in Birmingham, AL at $2,687. In Hengelo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birmingham, AL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hengelo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,186 in Hengelo to $2,687 in Birmingham, AL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hengelo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Birmingham, AL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.