Baltimore, MD vs Provo, UT
Moving from Baltimore to Provo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $546,641 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Provo 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 $92,787 in Provo, UT (−$7,213).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Provo, UT: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 1,921 sqft in Provo ($214 vs $260 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Provo, UT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $21,900 | −$1,128 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,736 | −$339 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,450 | −$235 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,440 | −$948 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,200 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $9,160 | −$2,424 |
| Total | $47,160 | $41,885 | −$5,275 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Provo, UT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 95.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 3.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 15.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $546,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $260 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,825 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.19% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.45% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $450 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $88 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $187 |
| Home internet / mo | $82 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 24 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.0 | 15.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 19.3 | 51.9 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 66% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |