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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. Leading the pack: Baltimore at index 100, where median rent of $1,708/month saves renters $2,244/year versus the national median.
Dollar for dollar, few states match Maryland's value. 1 out of 1 cities undercut the national cost index of 111. Leading the pack: Baltimore at index 100, where median rent of $1,708/month saves renters $2,244/year versus the national median.
Why Baltimore ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 100 on the cost index, residents save roughly 11% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,708/month while the median household pulls in $59,623/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 100, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $187,545 — $279,825 below the national median.
Bottom line: Baltimore leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers (more on that below).
#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
565,239 residents · Maryland
So, Baltimore. Cost index of 100, rent at $1,708/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $59,623, which is below the national median. About what you'd guess. Not flashy. Just effective.
Cities with the highest rents in Maryland are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. 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.
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.