Columbus, GA vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Columbus to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($209,527 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Baltimore 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 Columbus, GA, you'd need about $116,145 in Baltimore, MD (+$16,145).
Livability — Columbus, GA: 76 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,892 sqft in Columbus vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($102 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, GA | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,336 | $23,028 | +$7,692 |
| Groceries | $4,816 | $5,075 | +$259 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,685 | +$170 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,388 | +$732 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,400 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $9,327 | $11,584 | +$2,257 |
| Total | $36,750 | $47,160 | +$10,410 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, GA | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.87% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.06 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $209,527 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,278 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |