Skip to content
CityLedger

Baltimore vs Orlando

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

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

Orlando is about 3% cheaper to live in, while Baltimore households earn about 22% 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.

Baltimore, MD
$57,932
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$55,444
real value after local prices
Orlando, FL
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$60,456
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Orlando leaves you about $5,012/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
Orlando
Livability (CityLedger)
69/100
47/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
104.5
101.4
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$94,429
$79,911
Median household income
$98,666
$81,044
Median rent
$1,633/mo
$1,877/mo
Median home value
$403,000
$409,400
Unemployment
4.3%
4.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
45.3%
38.5%
Average commute
30.3 min
29 min
Air quality (median AQI)
47
44
Avg temperature
59°F
73°F

Choose Baltimore for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Baltimore profile →

Choose Orlando for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Orlando profile →

Baltimore vs Orlando — frequently asked

Is Baltimore cheaper than Orlando?
Orlando is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 3% below Baltimore's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Baltimore or Orlando?
Baltimore has the higher median household income — $98,666 versus $81,044 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Baltimore or Orlando?
A paycheck stretches further in Baltimore. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $94,429 there versus $79,911 in Orlando.
Which has cheaper rent, Baltimore or Orlando?
Baltimore has cheaper rent — a median of $1,633/mo versus $1,877/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).