Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Baltimore (index 100, rent $1,708/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices here — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Baltimore (index 100, rent $1,708/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 2 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
What does daily life actually cost in Baltimore? Start with the 34% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $59,623 and homes at $187,545 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
(Tangentially — this is the kind of city where you can actually build equity on a median salary, which is increasingly rare.)
Before celebrating, check the next metric: Nationally, the 288 cities in our database average a cost index of 111, rent of $1,895/month, and household income of $80,367. The cities in this ranking significantly outperform those benchmarks. That's a spread that makes moving costs look trivial.
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.
#1 Ranked: Baltimore, MD — cost index 100, rent $1,708/mo, income $59,623
1 of 2 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
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BaltimoreMD | 100 | $1,708 | Details |
| 2 | SacramentoCA | 117 | $2,006 | Details |
565,239 residents · Maryland
What does daily life actually cost in Baltimore? Start with the 34% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Healthcare (index 100) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $59,623 and homes at $187,545 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
526,384 residents · California
The #2 spot goes to Sacramento, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $2,006/month — costing renters $1,332 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 103, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 117. That tracks. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
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.
Baltimore (ranked #1) has a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,708/mo, while Sacramento (ranked #2) has a cost index of 117 and rent of $2,006/mo — a 17-point difference in cost of living.
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.
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.