SalaryCompareTool

Baltimore, MD vs Lafayette, LA

Moving from Baltimore to Lafayette? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $202,312 median home) and taxes.

Baltimore vs Lafayette at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Baltimore, MD Lafayette, LA Cost-of-living index Baltimore, MD — Cost-of-living index: 103 103 Lafayette, LA — Cost-of-living index: 88 88 Median home price Baltimore, MD — Median home price: $406k $406k Lafayette, LA — Median home price: $202k $202k Price per sqft Baltimore, MD — Price per sqft: $214 $214 Lafayette, LA — Price per sqft: $101 $101 Median rent Baltimore, MD — Median rent: $1,919 $1,919 Lafayette, LA — Median rent: $1,371 $1,371 Combined sales tax Baltimore, MD — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Lafayette, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Property tax rate Baltimore, MD — Property tax rate: 1.04% 1.04% Lafayette, LA — Property tax rate: 0.49% 0.49% Violent crime /100k Baltimore, MD — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Lafayette, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Electricity ¢/kWh Baltimore, MD — Electricity ¢/kWh: 22.1 22.1 Lafayette, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Avg commute (min) Baltimore, MD — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Lafayette, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Avg summer high °F Baltimore, MD — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Lafayette, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Baltimore, MD — Avg winter low °F: 27° 27° Lafayette, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baltimore, MD, you'd need about $84,851 in Lafayette, LA (−$15,149).

Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Lafayette, LA: 72 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 4,941 sqft in Lafayette ($214 vs $101 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBaltimore, MDLafayette, LADifference
Housing $23,028 $16,452 −$6,576
Groceries $5,075 $4,650 −$425
Transportation $3,685 $4,475 +$790
Utilities $2,388 $1,560 −$828
Insurance $1,400 $3,500 +$2,100
Taxes $11,584 $8,509 −$3,075
Total $47,160 $39,146 −$8,014

Side by side

MetricBaltimore, MDLafayette, LA
Cost-of-living index103.287.6
Unemployment rate4.86%5.97%
Population growth (5-yr)1.7%-1.6%
Air quality (median AQI)4751
Big Mac price (est.)$5.87$4.98
Median home price$405,877$202,312
Home price ÷ income4.3×3.5×
1-yr home appreciation0.8%2.1%
Price per square foot$214$101
Median rent$1,919$1,371
Total tax burden (% income)11.3%9.1%
Combined sales tax6.00%9.56%
Capital gains tax5.75%4.25%
Property tax rate1.04%0.49%
Healthcare (annual)$7,200$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$8,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.10%
Avg commute (min)3026
Home insurance / yr$1,400$3,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,900$2,900
Flood insurance / yr$750$1,000
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh22.114.4
Gas $/gal3.302.95
Violent crime /100k450630
Avg summer high °F8892
Avg winter low °F2743
Permit difficulty (1–5)42
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