Baltimore vs Bethesda
The short version
- Baltimore is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Bethesda area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $229,600 in Baltimore and $1,169,900 in Bethesda.
- Households earn more in Bethesda ($192,237 vs $62,177 median).
- Bethesda is growing faster: +0% since 2020 vs -2.7%.
Side by side
| Baltimore, MD | Bethesda, MD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 569,997 | 69,397 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.7% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 7,042 | 5,233 |
| Median age | 36.2 | 42.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 87% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,177 | $192,237 |
| Median home value | $229,600 | $1,169,900 |
| Home value to income | 3.7× | 6.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,331 | $2,469 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 104.5 | 108.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 118.2 | 151.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $78,400 | $81,700 |
| Homeowners | 48% | 64% |
| Top state income tax | 6.5% | 6.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.1 | 27.7 |
| Work from home | 18% | 38% |
| Take public transit | 10% | 10% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 3.1% |
| Poverty rate | 19.7% | 4.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 43° / 25° | 45° / 30° |
| July high / low | 89° / 68° | 90° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 45 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 19 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 34 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 93 | 60 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.0 | 91.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 58% | 59% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.7% | +1.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.8% | +29.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Baltimore: April to June and September to October. Bethesda: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Baltimore weather by month and Bethesda weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $78,400 in Baltimore and $81,700 in Bethesda. Moving from Baltimore to Bethesda, you would need about $78,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Baltimore and Bethesda
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Baltimore and Bethesda.
Which would you pick?
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