Cost of living in Baltimore, MD
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area (2,859,024 people) ranks #29 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Baltimore with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Baltimore to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Washington, D.C., which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Baltimore: $122,200
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $122,200 in Baltimore, MD to match $125,000 in Washington, D.C. ($2,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses Washington, DC and Maryland state income tax; includes Baltimore resident tax $3,842 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Baltimore
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Baltimore
On a $100,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $71,803 after 2026 federal tax ($13,170), Social Security and Medicare ($7,650) and Maryland income tax ($4,386), and $2,990 in Baltimore resident income tax.
Baltimore City residents pay a 3.2% local income tax on Maryland taxable income, in place of a county rate. It is a residence tax: if you live in a Maryland county instead, you pay that county's rate (2.25%–3.3%) wherever you work, and the calculator uses the state's average county rate for that case.
Housing
| Measure | Baltimore area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,633/mo |
| Median home value | $403,000 |
| Median property tax | $3,927/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,576 |
| Median household income | $98,666 |
Climate and jobs in Baltimore
In the Baltimore area the average January low is 25°F and the average July high 89°F, and the area has about 34 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.9% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $59,070 a year, 16% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 25°F |
| July high | 89°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 34 a year |
| Precipitation | 45 in a year |
| Snowfall | 19 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $59,070 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 1.4 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Baltimore Washington International Airport station (USW00093721). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Baltimore
A single retiree spends about $3,367 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,370 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Baltimore
- Baltimore to Washington, D.C.
- Baltimore to Philadelphia
- Baltimore to New York
- Washington, D.C. to Baltimore
- New York to Baltimore
- Philadelphia to Baltimore
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Baltimore area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 84.1 of 100), with expected losses of about $182 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Maryland.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Baltimore?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $88,100 in Baltimore. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $65,320, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $110,384.
Is Baltimore expensive?
The Baltimore metro area's price level is 104.5 (U.S. = 100), #29 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 118.2, 18% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Baltimore?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Baltimore had a net loss of about 1,297 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Baltimore?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Baltimore area (Baltimore Washington International Airport weather station), the average January low is 25°F and the average July high 89°F. The area has about 34 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 45 inches of precipitation a year and about 19 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Baltimore?
The Baltimore metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.9% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $59,070 a year in May 2025, 16% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Baltimore?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 84.1). The highest relative risks are winter weather, heat wave, strong wind.
Compare Baltimore with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Moving from Maryland