Worcester, MA vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Worcester to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Worcester 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 Worcester, MA, you'd need about $100,196 in Baltimore, MD (+$196).
Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($284 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Worcester, MA | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,184 | $23,028 | −$3,156 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $5,075 | +$137 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,685 | +$475 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,388 | −$792 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,400 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $16,011 | $11,584 | −$4,426 |
| Total | $55,322 | $47,160 | −$8,162 |
Side by side
| Metric | Worcester, MA | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.0 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.78% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.86 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $482,611 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $284 | $214 |
| Median rent | $2,182 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 1.04% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 27 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 4 |