PlainRelocate

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson → Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 104.5 to 113.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $744/mo.

+$4,092
BLS median salary higher in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
425 to 477
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 20.8:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,289
DOL infant care higher / yr in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 104.5 → 113.6
Rent Delta: +$744/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $4K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 9% higher cost of living
  • - $744/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 104.5 to 113.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $744/mo ($8,928/yr) from $1,857 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to $2,601 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim sits #383 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Baltimore-Columbia-Towson is #287/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,092 higher ($78,184 → $82,276). Labor-market size: 1,317,590 tracked jobs at origin vs 6,167,970 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Maryland 46 (F, #45/51) vs California 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 104.5
RPP 113.6
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Rent (2BR)
$1,857/mo
$2,601/mo
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Wages
$78,184
$82,276
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Crime
425 per 100K
477 per 100K
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Schools
14:1
20.8:1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Childcare
$14,631/yr
$17,920/yr
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Environment
556 violations
17705 violations
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Maryland
46 F #45/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
52
Destination state · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to see what you'd need to earn in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
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See the reverse: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026