Baltimore, MD vs Charleston, SC
Moving from Baltimore to Charleston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $435,877 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Charleston 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 $97,978 in Charleston, SC (−$2,022).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Charleston, SC: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 2,295 sqft in Charleston ($214 vs $218 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Charleston, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $24,288 | +$1,260 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,797 | −$278 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,465 | −$220 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,848 | −$540 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,000 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $10,552 | −$1,032 |
| Total | $47,160 | $46,950 | −$210 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Charleston, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 101.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 4.07% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 8.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 44 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.75 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $435,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | -0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $218 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $2,024 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.49% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |