Baltimore, MD vs Des Moines, IA
Moving from Baltimore to Des Moines? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $296,070 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Des Moines 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 $89,890 in Des Moines, IA (−$10,110).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Des Moines, IA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 2,787 sqft in Des Moines ($214 vs $179 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Des Moines, IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $15,516 | −$7,512 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,831 | −$244 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,150 | −$535 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,500 | −$888 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,700 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $10,265 | −$1,319 |
| Total | $47,160 | $36,962 | −$10,198 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Des Moines, IA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 92.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 4.14% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 14.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.28 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $296,070 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $179 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,293 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 11.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.94% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 1.71% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.00% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,700 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 13.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 12 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |