on $100k a year, leaving Chicago
changea dispatch from
baltimore
MD
39.29°N
76.61°W
Baltimore is steamed crabs with Old Bay, the Inner Harbor at golden hour, and row houses with painted screens. Edgar Allan Poe is buried here, John Waters still lives here, and Cal Ripken Jr. is a saint. The seafood is genuinely some of the best on the east coast. The neighborhoods (Fells Point, Hampden, Federal Hill) each feel like their own small town.
the verdict
lighter monthly cost than Chicago
A near-tie on cost. What separates Baltimore is the life around the numbers.
a quick ledger.
$1,868/mo
14% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)
8.2%
$271/mo more in state tax than Chicago
vs 4.95% in Chicago
$5,782/mo
$31 more than Chicago
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$412k
13% more expensive than Chicago
vs $365k in Chicago
2.8M
vs 9.3M in Chicago
field notes, weather & such.
168
pleasant days a year, in baltimore.
Chicago barely cracks 153 pleasant ones.
But the calendar thins out: Chicago stays 19.3× busier.
66/100
6% lower than Chicago
vs 70/100 in Chicago
Closest outdoor draw: George Washington Memorial Parkway, 39.9 mi.
98/100
2% lower than Chicago
vs 100/100 in Chicago
72
67% fewer than Chicago
vs 217 nonstops in Chicago
same energy as baltimore, different zip code:
