Baltimore, MD vs Memphis, TN
Moving from Baltimore to Memphis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $247,229 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Memphis 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 $89,110 in Memphis, TN (−$10,890).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Memphis, TN: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 4,045 sqft in Memphis ($214 vs $124 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Memphis, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $17,292 | −$5,736 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,715 | −$360 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,130 | −$555 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,608 | −$780 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,200 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $5,158 | −$6,426 |
| Total | $47,160 | $34,103 | −$13,057 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 6.84% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $247,229 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $124 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,441 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.87% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |