Fargo, ND vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Fargo to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $115,761 in Baltimore, MD (+$15,761).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($193 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $23,028 | +$9,156 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $5,075 | +$225 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,685 | +$555 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $2,388 | +$1,056 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,400 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $11,584 | +$3,501 |
| Total | $33,367 | $47,160 | +$13,793 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $88 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $70 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 27 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.6 | 45.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 50.0 | 19.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |