Baltimore, MD vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Baltimore to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Atlanta at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $97,380 in Atlanta, GA (−$2,620).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($214 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $22,080 | −$948 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,926 | −$149 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,515 | −$170 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,656 | −$732 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,100 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $10,533 | −$1,051 |
| Total | $47,160 | $44,810 | −$2,350 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |