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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Maryland's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — this is the part where it gets real — . Leading the pack: Baltimore at index 100, where median rent of $1,708/month saves renters $2,244/year versus the national median.
#1 Ranked: Baltimore — cost index 100, rent $1,708/mo, income $59,623
1 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Dollar for dollar, few states match Maryland's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111 — this is the part where it gets real — . Leading the pack: Baltimore at index 100, where median rent of $1,708/month saves renters $2,244/year versus the national median.
Baltimore earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 100 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $59,623 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $187,545 — $279,825 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 100, while Healthcare trails at 100.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
565,239 residents · Maryland
Here's Baltimore by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 100. Rent: $1,708/month. Income: $59,623/year. Home price: $187,545. Population: 565,239. The strongest category is Healthcare at 100; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,244 per year vs. the national median. That's not a marginal difference — it reshapes your monthly budget.
Cities are ranked by their utilities 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 100 and median income of $59,623.
Baltimore, MD has the lowest utilities index at 100, 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.