Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington → Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 102.6 to 104.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $47/mo.

+$3,924
BLS median salary higher in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
250 to 425
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

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
Favorable
Cost Index: 102.6 → 104.5
Rent Delta: +$47/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $4K higher median salary
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 102.6 to 104.5 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,810 → $1,857); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson sits #287 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is #279/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,924 higher ($74,260 → $78,184). Labor-market size: 2,874,190 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,317,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Pennsylvania scores 65 (C, #18/51) vs Maryland at 46 (F, #45/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 102.6
RPP 104.5
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Rent (2BR)
$1,810/mo
$1,857/mo
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Wages
$74,260
$78,184
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Crime
250 per 100K
425 per 100K
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Schools
13:1
14:1
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Childcare
N/A
$14,631/yr
Tie
Environment
5292 violations
556 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 · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72
Destination state · Maryland
46 F #45/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
52

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington to see what you'd need to earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
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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