Is Baltimore cheaper than Jacksonville?

Jacksonville is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Baltimore's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Baltimore or Jacksonville?

Baltimore has the higher median household income — $98,666 versus $82,053 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 20% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Baltimore or Jacksonville?

A paycheck stretches further in Baltimore. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,429 there versus $82,479 in Jacksonville.

Which has cheaper rent, Baltimore or Jacksonville?

Rents are close — $1,633/mo in the Baltimore metro versus $1,625/mo in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Baltimore vs Jacksonville

Metro-area medians — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area vs Jacksonville, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Baltimore comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Jacksonville is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Baltimore households earn about 20% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Baltimore.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Baltimore, MD

$57,932

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$55,444

real value after local prices

Jacksonville, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$61,632

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Jacksonville leaves you about $6,188/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Baltimore

Jacksonville

Livability (CityLedger)

69/100

53/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

104.5

99.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$94,429

$82,479

Median household income

$98,666

$82,053

Median rent

$1,633/mo

$1,625/mo

Median home value

$403,000

$375,200

Unemployment

4.3%

4.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

45.3%

38.3%

Average commute

30.3 min

27.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

59°F

71°F

Choose Baltimore for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Baltimore profile →

Choose Jacksonville for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full Jacksonville profile →

Baltimore vs Jacksonville — frequently asked

Is Baltimore cheaper than Jacksonville?: Jacksonville is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Baltimore's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Baltimore or Jacksonville?: Baltimore has the higher median household income — $98,666 versus $82,053 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 20% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Baltimore or Jacksonville?: A paycheck stretches further in Baltimore. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,429 there versus $82,479 in Jacksonville.
Which has cheaper rent, Baltimore or Jacksonville?: Rents are close — $1,633/mo in the Baltimore metro versus $1,625/mo in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).