Detroit, MI vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Detroit to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Detroit 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 Detroit, MI, you'd need about $105,089 in Baltimore, MD (+$5,089).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($163 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $23,028 | +$5,028 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $5,075 | +$179 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,685 | −$890 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,388 | +$72 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,400 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $11,584 | +$2,037 |
| Total | $40,634 | $47,160 | +$6,526 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |