Baltimore, MD vs Detroit, MI
Moving from Baltimore to Detroit? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $269,080 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Detroit 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 $95,157 in Detroit, MI (−$4,843).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Detroit, MI: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 3,066 sqft in Detroit ($214 vs $163 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Detroit, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $18,000 | −$5,028 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,896 | −$179 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $4,575 | +$890 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $2,316 | −$72 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,300 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $9,547 | −$2,037 |
| Total | $47,160 | $40,634 | −$6,526 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Detroit, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 6.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $269,080 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $163 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 1.43% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |