Skip to content
CityLedger

Atlanta vs Baltimore

Metro-area medians — Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area vs Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Baltimore comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Atlanta is about 4% cheaper to live in, while Baltimore households earn about 7% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

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.

Atlanta, GA
$58,044
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$58,010
real value after local prices
Baltimore, MD
$57,932
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$55,444
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Atlanta leaves you about $2,566/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
Atlanta
Baltimore
Livability (CityLedger)
62/100
69/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
100.1
104.5
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$92,290
$94,429
Median household income
$92,344
$98,666
Median rent
$1,770/mo
$1,633/mo
Median home value
$402,100
$403,000
Unemployment
4.5%
4.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
43.9%
45.3%
Average commute
32.4 min
30.3 min
Air quality (median AQI)
56
47
Avg temperature
64°F
59°F

Choose Atlanta for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
Full Atlanta profile →

Choose Baltimore for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Baltimore profile →

Atlanta vs Baltimore — frequently asked

Is Atlanta cheaper than Baltimore?
Atlanta is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Baltimore's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Atlanta or Baltimore?
Baltimore has the higher median household income — $98,666 versus $92,344 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 7% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Atlanta or Baltimore?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($92,290 versus $94,429).
Which has cheaper rent, Atlanta or Baltimore?
Baltimore has cheaper rent — a median of $1,633/mo versus $1,770/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).