Lexington, KY vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Lexington to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Lexington 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $111,549 in Baltimore, MD (+$11,549).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($173 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $23,028 | +$4,692 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $5,075 | +$354 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $3,685 | −$185 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $2,388 | +$768 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,400 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $11,584 | +$3,511 |
| Total | $38,820 | $47,160 | +$8,340 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |