Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Maryland beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Baltimore stands out at 96 on the index, with rent of $1,708/month and household income of $59,623. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
#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
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Baltimore | 5.75% | 6% | 0.87% | $43,463 |
The numbers are clear: 1 of 1 cities in Maryland beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Baltimore stands out at 96 on the index, with rent of $1,708/month and household income of $59,623. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
So, Baltimore. Cost index of 96, rent at $1,708/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $59,623, which is below the national median. That's more or less in line with the region. Worth a deeper look.
Digging deeper, Maryland — DC-adjacent salaries with suburban costs. The 1 cities we track here average a cost index of 96 and median income of $59,623. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,708/month, which is $187 less than the national median.
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
Baltimore is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,708/month, which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 96. Income sits at $59,623. That tracks.
We combine state income tax rate, combined sales tax (state + local), and effective property tax rate into a total tax burden score. Cities are ranked by this combined metric — lower is better for your wallet. 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.
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.