Dallas, TX vs Baltimore, MD
Moving from Dallas to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($366,823 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.
Dallas vs Baltimore at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Dallas, TX, you'd need about $111,584 in Baltimore, MD (+$11,584).
Livability — Dallas, TX: 67 · Baltimore, MD: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,862 sqft in Dallas vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($175 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Dallas, TX | Baltimore, MD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,136 | $23,028 | +$2,892 |
| Groceries | $5,182 | $5,075 | −$107 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,685 | +$10 |
| Utilities | $5,064 | $5,700 | +$636 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $2,870 | $9,848 | +$6,978 |
| Total | $37,107 | $47,516 | +$10,408 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Dallas, TX: 2.9% · Baltimore, MD: 9.8% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Dallas, TX | Baltimore, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 103.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.62% | 4.86% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.0% | 1.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 59 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.87 |
| Median home price | $366,823 | $405,877 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -3.3% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $175 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,678 | $1,919 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.6% | 11.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.76% | 1.04% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.9 yrs | 76.9 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 17.7% | 5.5% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 65 | 93 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 97 | 61 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 17 | 8 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 91% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 71.3% | 69.0% |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 96.5 — Relatively High | 84.1 — Relatively Moderate |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 22.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $88 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $82 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 430 | 450 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 27 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 38.3 | 45.0 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 1.7 | 19.3 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 61% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |
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