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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Maryland is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Baltimore leads at an index of 96 with rent at just $1,708/month — 10% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
#1 Ranked: Baltimore — cost index 96, rent $1,708/mo, income $59,623
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Maryland is a genuine bargain: 1 of the 1 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. Baltimore leads at an index of 96 with rent at just $1,708/month — 10% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
Here's Baltimore by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And for many people, cost index: 96. Rent: $1,708/month — a detail that tends to get overlooked — . Income: $59,623/year. Home price: $187,545. Population: 565,239. The strongest category is Utilities at 88; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,244 per year vs. the national median. That's a meaningful edge in practice. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.
The healthcare sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 99 (the top-10 average here) means healthcare costs are about 1% below the national median. Baltimore leads at 99. Note: a low healthcare index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
The same data, viewed through a different lens: Here's the state-level backdrop: Maryland averages a 96 cost index, $1,708/mo rent, and $59,623 income across 1 cities. You get the picture. That's $187 less than the national rent average. DC-adjacent salaries with suburban costs — and that context shapes every city in this ranking (more on that below).
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers (that's pre-tax, of course).
565,239 residents · Maryland
Why Baltimore ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 96 on the cost index, residents save roughly 16% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,708/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $59,623/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 88, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $187,545 — $279,825 below the national median (that's pre-tax, of course).
Cities are ranked by their healthcare cost sub-index within Maryland. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Baltimore ranks #1 in Maryland for this analysis with a cost index of 96 and median income of $59,623.
Baltimore, MD has the lowest healthcare index at 99, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Baltimore is $1,708/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $187 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Baltimore is $187,545, which is 3.1× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Maryland has a 5.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.87%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.