This Alabama metro area among the cheapest places in the US to raise a child, study says

The Birmingham metro area was recently ranked the fourth cheapest place to raise a child among the nation’s largest metro areas, despite a significant cost increase from the previous year.

Two-parent households in the Birmingham metro area will pay $21,684 per year to raise a single child in 2026, according to financial technology site SmartAsset’s 2026 study examining child-raising costs across 48 major metro areas.