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CityLedger

Baltimore vs San Francisco

Metro-area medians — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area vs San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Baltimore comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

Baltimore is about 11% cheaper to live in, while San Francisco households earn about 37% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in San Francisco.

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
San Francisco, CA
$58,296
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$50,424
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Baltimore leaves you about $5,020/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
San Francisco
Livability (CityLedger)
69/100
77/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
104.5
115.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$94,429
$117,279
Median household income
$98,666
$135,590
Median rent
$1,633/mo
$2,435/mo
Median home value
$403,000
$1,132,900
Unemployment
4.3%
5.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
45.3%
53.8%
Average commute
30.3 min
32.7 min
Air quality (median AQI)
47
53
Avg temperature
59°F
58°F

Choose Baltimore for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Baltimore profile →

Choose San Francisco for

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

Baltimore vs San Francisco — frequently asked

Is Baltimore cheaper than San Francisco?
Baltimore is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 11% below San Francisco's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Baltimore or San Francisco?
San Francisco has the higher median household income — $135,590 versus $98,666 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 37% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Baltimore or San Francisco?
A paycheck stretches further in San Francisco. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $117,279 there versus $94,429 in Baltimore.
Which has cheaper rent, Baltimore or San Francisco?
Baltimore has cheaper rent — a median of $1,633/mo versus $2,435/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).