What does it cost to live in Baltimore, MD? Based on 7 federal sources (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026, EIA energy prices, IRS/state tax), a single adult's modeled annual budget is $69,540 and a family of four's is $126,114 (2025).
Applies to the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area.
Category
Index (U.S. = 100)
vs U.S.
All items
104.5
+4.5%
Goods
102.4
+2.4%
Rents
118.2
+18.2%
Utilities
110.2
+10.2%
Other services
101.5
+1.5%
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area · methodology →
ACS 5-Year 2020–2024
Owner costs.
Owner cost & property tax — place-grain from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. Median monthly selected owner costs (SMOC) cover mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and condo fees where applicable; real-estate taxes paid is the median property-tax bill for owner-occupied units.
Utility prices in Maryland — applies to Maryland statewide (electricity and natural gas) or its PADD region (gasoline). Residential rates are state averages, not what any specific household pays.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) · state-grain · methodology →
Census Gov Finances FY2022
State tax burden.
Tax burden in Maryland — combined state + local taxes per capita, from the U.S. Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (FY2022). Population denominator: Census PEP 2022 state estimate. State-grain only; this is revenue divided by people, not a household tax bill. "vs U.S. state average" compares one state to the unweighted mean across all 51 states + DC.
Measure
Value
vs U.S. state average
Total state + local taxes per capita
$8,076
6,836 avg · +18%
Property taxes per capita
$1,873
1,886 avg · -1%
Sales & gross receipts taxes per capita
$2,099
2,255 avg · -7%
Individual income taxes per capita
$3,188
1,617 avg · +97%
Corporate income taxes per capita
$347
393 avg · -12%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances · FY2022 · state-grain · methodology →
State Income Tax TY2025
State income tax.
Measure
Value
Note
Top state income tax rate (single filer)
5.75%
8 brackets, progressive · TY2025
Effective state income tax at $75k (single)
4.51%
after $2,700 standard deduction · TY2025
Full 8-bracket schedule
Income range (single)
Marginal rate
$0 – $1,000
2%
$1,000 – $2,000
3%
$2,000 – $3,000
4%
$3,000 – $100,000
4.75%
$100,000 – $125,000
5%
$125,000 – $150,000
5.25%
$150,000 – $250,000
5.5%
$250,000+
5.75%
Single filer rates for tax year 2025. Maryland standard deduction is 15% of AGI subject to floor of $1,800 and ceiling of $2,700 for single filers. County 'piggyback' income tax (2.25% to 3.20%) is not included in this rate.
Income tax: state-level only. Local income taxes (e.g., NYC resident tax, Yonkers surcharge, Portland-OR Metro tax, Maryland county tax, Philadelphia wage tax, OH/KY/MI city income taxes) appear in the Local income tax section below when modeled. Effective rate at $75k is illustrative only — single filer with state standard deduction, no itemized deductions, no credits.
Maryland: state-only sales tax, no local option · Tax Foundation TY2025
Combined sales tax rate
6.00%
state + avg local · TY2025
Sales tax: state-grain. The "average local rate" is Tax Foundation's population-weighted state-average; actual local rates vary by city, county, and special taxing district. Selective sales taxes (hotels, meals, car rentals) and excise taxes (gasoline, tobacco, alcohol) are excluded.
Source: Tax Foundation · state statutes · TY2025 · methodology →
Local Income Tax · F3 Pipeline
Local income tax.
Baltimore falls within a modeled local income tax jurisdiction. The monthly amount shown is derived from the iterative solver (F3) for the single-adult household budget and applies to Baltimore City County (MD).
Measure
Value
Source / grain
Local income tax (monthly, single adult)
$185/mo
Baltimore City County (MD) · MD_DLS · tier: A_automated
Source: PA DCED, MD DLS, IN DOR, OH RITA/CCA, municipal overrides · jurisdiction-grain · methodology →
USDA Food Plans + Food Atlas
Food and grocery access.
Food and grocery access. USDA national food-cost reference plus USDA Food Environment Atlas county-level food access. National plan values are not adjusted for local prices.
Measure
Value
Grain / source
Thrifty Food Plan, family of 4
$996/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Moderate-Cost Plan, family of 4
$1,341/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Liberal Plan, family of 4
$1,619/mo
national reference, USDA CNPP
Grocery stores per 1,000 pop
0.42
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2020
Low food-access population share
4.5%
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2019
SNAP participation rate
10.7%
county-grain, USDA ERS Atlas 2022
Food Atlas county: Baltimore County, MD. USDA Food Plans observation: July 2025. Alaska and Hawaii shoppers should expect substantially higher prices than the national figure. See food methodology.
Monthly Household Budget Benchmark
Household budget.
Monthly Household Budget Benchmark — estimated monthly cost of basic needs, composed from federal public-domain sources. Two compositions: single adult (1BR rental) and family of four, two adults working, two children ages 4 and 8 (3BR rental). Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite index. Methodology informed by the MIT Living Wage Calculator and EPI Family Budget Calculator; figures independently computed from primary federal sources.
Single adult · 1BR rental
Component
Monthly
Grain / source
Housing (1BR rental)
$1,780/mo
HUD SAFMR FY2026, ZIP 21202
Food
$300/mo
national, USDA Low-Cost Plan 2025, state price-adjusted
Transportation
$1,136/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Healthcare (out-of-pocket)
$187/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Internet + cellular
$122/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024 (no sub-state federal source for ISP price)
Other necessities
$490/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Civic engagement
$316/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Taxes (federal + FICA + state + local)
$1,465/mo
TY2025, iteratively solved
↳ Local income tax (city/county)
$185/mo
Baltimore City County (MD)
Total monthly
$5,795/mo
mixed grain
Total annual
$69,540/yr
mixed grain
Gross income required (pre-tax)
$69,540/yr
mixed grain, TY2025 tax solver
Single adult, no dependents, single filing status.
Family of four · 3BR rental
Two adults working, two children (ages 4 and 8). Married Filing Jointly.
Component
Monthly
Grain / source
Housing (3BR rental)
$2,780/mo
HUD SAFMR FY2026, ZIP 21202, 3BR
Food
$1,136/mo
national, USDA Family-of-4 Plan 2025, state price-adjusted
national, BLS CEX 2024 (no sub-state federal source for ISP price)
Other necessities
$490/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Civic engagement
$316/mo
national, BLS CEX 2024, state price-adjusted
Taxes (federal + FICA + state + local, MFJ)
$2,184/mo
TY2025, iteratively solved, MFJ + EITC + CTC
↳ Local income tax (city/county)
$336/mo
Baltimore City County (MD)
Total monthly
$10,509/mo
mixed grain
Total annual
$126,114/yr
mixed grain
Gross income required (pre-tax, combined)
$126,114/yr
mixed grain, TY2025 MFJ solver
Includes CTC $4,400/yr (TY2025 federal credits, MFJ).
Note: USDA family-of-4 food plan uses children ages 6–8 and 9–11; childcare modeled at ages 4 and 8. Small ~5% age-band inconsistency documented in methodology.
Component grains range from ZIP or county (housing, per HUD SAFMR/FMR coverage) to national (CEX-based rows adjusted to state price level via BEA Regional Price Parities). Childcare: county-grain DOL NDCP 2022, inflated by BLS CPI Child Care subindex (factor 1.2293, Jan 2022 → Apr 2026). Local income tax modeled for ~3,100+ jurisdictions in 16 states. Not a recommended salary; not a poverty threshold; components are not weighted into a composite score. See household budget methodology, family-of-four methodology, and local income tax methodology.
Methodology
How these figures are computed.
Every figure on this page comes from a primary federal source. No composite index is produced; figures are presented per-component with grain labels so readers can trace each number to its source.
