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CityLedger

Baltimore vs Seattle

Metro-area medians — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area vs Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Baltimore and Seattle are evenly matched, each taking 4 of the clearly-decided measures.

Baltimore is about 6% cheaper to live in, while Seattle households earn about 14% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Seattle.

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
Seattle, WA
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$55,171
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Baltimore leaves you about $273/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
Seattle
Livability (CityLedger)
69/100
78/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
104.5
111.1
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$94,429
$101,129
Median household income
$98,666
$112,388
Median rent
$1,633/mo
$2,050/mo
Median home value
$403,000
$743,000
Unemployment
4.3%
4.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
45.3%
48.5%
Average commute
30.3 min
30 min
Air quality (median AQI)
47
47
Avg temperature
59°F
54°F

Choose Baltimore for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
Full Baltimore profile →

Choose Seattle for

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

Baltimore vs Seattle — frequently asked

Is Baltimore cheaper than Seattle?
Baltimore is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 6% below Seattle's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Baltimore or Seattle?
Seattle has the higher median household income — $112,388 versus $98,666 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 14% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Baltimore or Seattle?
A paycheck stretches further in Seattle. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $101,129 there versus $94,429 in Baltimore.
Which has cheaper rent, Baltimore or Seattle?
Baltimore has cheaper rent — a median of $1,633/mo versus $2,050/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).