Baltimore, MD vs Tuscaloosa, AL
Moving from Baltimore to Tuscaloosa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($405,877 → $223,201 median home) and taxes.
Baltimore vs Tuscaloosa 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 $86,357 in Tuscaloosa, AL (−$13,643).
Livability — Baltimore, MD: 57 · Tuscaloosa, AL: 74 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,341 sqft in Baltimore vs 4,591 sqft in Tuscaloosa ($214 vs $109 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Baltimore, MD | Tuscaloosa, AL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,028 | $17,820 | −$5,208 |
| Groceries | $5,075 | $4,729 | −$346 |
| Transportation | $3,685 | $3,465 | −$220 |
| Utilities | $2,388 | $1,884 | −$504 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $2,400 | +$1,000 |
| Taxes | $11,584 | $8,901 | −$2,683 |
| Total | $47,160 | $39,199 | −$7,961 |
Side by side
| Metric | Baltimore, MD | Tuscaloosa, AL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.2 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.86% | 5.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 13.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.87 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $405,877 | $223,201 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $214 | $109 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,485 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.3% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 9.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.04% | 0.33% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $7,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.70% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 22.1 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 450 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 33 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |