Baltimore City County · Maryland · South · 573k residents
Baltimore, MD: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Baltimore: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Maryland median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
The median home value in Baltimore is $220,000, 48% below the Maryland median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 99 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $59,000 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findingsLimited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A harbor city with working-waterfront roots, strong neighborhood identities, and an outsized arts scene.
Known for: The Inner Harbor, Chesapeake food, rowhouses, history, and Johns Hopkins.
Calendar note: Artscape and the Baltimore Farmers’ Market are long-running local traditions.
Story source: Visit Baltimore
- Scale: A large city with a quarter-million or more residents in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Baltimore about 92 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 213 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 66 and an average commute of 30 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Baltimore side by side
Cost of living index
99
Median home value
$220,000
2-bedroom rent
$1,700/mo
Median household income
$59,000
Housing momentum
How fast Baltimore's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
28/100
Cooling
Ranks Baltimore's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Baltimore's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| Median home value | $220,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $170 |
| Property tax rate | 2% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,400/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,700/mo |
| State & local income tax | 7.6% |
| Sales tax | 6% |
| Cost of living index | 99 |
| Groceries index | 103 |
| Utilities | $190/mo |
| Transit pass | $77/mo |
| Gas price | $3.35/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,500/mo |
| Median household income | $59,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% |
| Population | 573k |
| Crime index | 62/100 |
| School rating | 5.0/10 |
| Walkability | 66/100 |
| Disaster risk | 95/100 |
| Avg. commute | 30 min |
| Sunny days / year | 213 days |
| July high | 90°F |
| January low | 30°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -1.8% |
| Home price MoM | -0.6% |
| Rent YoY | +1.8% |
| Rent MoM | +0.2% |
| Ocean coast | 92 mi |
| Big lake | 203 mi |
| Mountains | 106 mi |
| Major airport | 8 mi |
| Ski resort | 129 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Arbutus, MD · 23k
- Brooklyn Park, MD · 16k
- Catonsville, MD · 43k
- Lochearn, MD · 27k
- Dundalk, MD · 66k
Similar size
- Columbia, MD · 104k
- Germantown, MD · 91k
- Frederick, MD · 83k
- Waldorf, MD · 83k
- Silver Spring, MD · 81k
Real listings in Baltimore
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Baltimore, MD?
- Baltimore indexes at 99 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,700/mo and a median home value of $220,000.
- How much does a house cost in Baltimore?
- The median home value in Baltimore is $220,000, 48% below the Maryland median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Baltimore?
- A two-bedroom in Baltimore rents for about $1,700/mo.