Compare / Baltimore to Chicago
Baltimore, MD vs Chicago, IL
Simple answer
You'd likely save $5 a month in Baltimore.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $164, with Baltimore higher.
Maryland taxes wages at rates up to 6.50%. Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. Combined sales tax differs by 3.0 percentage points, higher in Illinois. The effective property tax gap is 0.97 percentage points, higher in Illinois.
After a move from Maryland to Illinois, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Baltimore lines up with about $74,360 in Chicago on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Baltimore
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,006
- HUD area
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,633
- All-items price parity
- 104.5
- Goods price parity
- 102.4
- Utilities price parity
- 110.2
- Mean commute
- 30.3 min
- Median household income
- $98,666
Chicago
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,011
- HUD area
- Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,469
- All-items price parity
- 103.6
- Goods price parity
- 107.3
- Utilities price parity
- 83.6
- Mean commute
- 30.9 min
- Median household income
- $90,770
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$74,360
Salary in Chicago that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$72,073
Gross salary in Chicago whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$75,187
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Maryland | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 6.50% | 4.95% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.0% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.95% | 1.92% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $3,799 a year in Maryland and $7,694 in Illinois. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Illinois
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Maryland and once in Illinois. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
WIC
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
School meals
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
BaltimoreMaybe
ChicagoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
BaltimoreUnlikely
ChicagoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
BaltimoreLikely eligible
ChicagoLikely eligible
SSI
BaltimoreUnlikely
ChicagoUnlikely
| Program | Baltimore | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Baltimore
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Baltimore.
- Baltimore and San Francisco · rent gap $1,691
- Baltimore and San Jose · rent gap $1,266
- Baltimore and Boston · rent gap $1,002
- Baltimore and McAllen · rent gap $989
- Baltimore and New York · rent gap $965
- Baltimore and Wichita · rent gap $963
- Baltimore and Los Angeles · rent gap $958
- Baltimore and Little Rock · rent gap $885
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.