Sioux Falls, SD vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Sioux Falls to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls, SD, you'd need about $114,533 in Baltimore, MD (+$14,533).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($202 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $23,028 | +$7,320 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $5,075 | +$206 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,685 | +$485 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $2,388 | +$816 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,400 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $11,584 | +$6,321 |
| Total | $33,013 | $47,160 | +$14,148 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 34 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |