Wichita, KS vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Wichita to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Wichita 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 Wichita, KS, you'd need about $115,391 in Baltimore, MD (+$15,391).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($119 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $23,028 | +$8,616 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $5,075 | +$251 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,685 | +$410 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,388 | +$684 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,400 | −$1,900 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $11,584 | +$541 |
| Total | $38,558 | $47,160 | +$8,602 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $68 | $88 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $92 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 27 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 30.0 | 45.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 13.0 | 19.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 65% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |