Median rent is 16% lower in Louisville/Jefferson County ($1,120/mo vs $1,331/mo). Buying is cheaper in Baltimore, where the median home runs $229,600 versus $233,900. Households earn more in Louisville/Jefferson County ($66,849 vs $62,177 a year).
City A
Baltimore, MD
City B
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
How much would you need to earn in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY to maintain your standard of living from Baltimore, MD?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Baltimore
Maryland
Louisville/Jefferson County
Kentucky
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in Louisville/Jefferson County at $1,120/mo compared to $1,331/mo in Baltimore (16% gap). Median home values are within 2% of each other: $229,600 in Baltimore and $233,900 in Louisville/Jefferson County.
Metric
Baltimore
Louisville/Jefferson County
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Baltimore
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Louisville/Jefferson County
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Baltimore has cleaner air on average: 25.0 AQI (Good) compared to 32.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Louisville/Jefferson County if you prioritize higher median household income ($66,849/yr).
Pick Louisville/Jefferson County if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,120/mo median).
Pick Baltimore if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 25.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,331/mo in Baltimore, MD and $1,120/mo in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY has the lower rent by about 16%.
Median household income is $62,177 in Baltimore, MD and $66,849 in Louisville/Jefferson County, KY. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Baltimore, MD has better air quality on average: 25.0 AQI versus 32.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
