Baltimore, MD vs Boston, MA
Moving from Baltimore to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Boston 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 $106,987 in Boston, MA (+$6,987).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($214 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $38,532 | +$15,504 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $5,040 | −$35 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,210 | −$475 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $3,180 | +$792 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,800 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $17,694 | +$6,110 |
| Total | $47,160 | $69,455 | +$22,295 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |