Baltimore, MD vs Salem, OR
Moving from Baltimore to Salem? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $454,689 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Salem 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 $99,297 in Salem, OR (−$703).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Salem, OR: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 1,869 sqft in Salem ($214 vs $268 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Salem, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $19,536 | −$3,492 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $5,239 | +$164 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,680 | −$5 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,704 | −$684 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $900 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $13,135 | +$1,551 |
| Total | $47,160 | $44,194 | −$2,966 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Salem, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 35 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $454,689 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 6.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $268 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,628 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |