Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater → Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 104.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $120/mo.

+$9,780
BLS median salary higher in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
210 to 425
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 14:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,126
DOL infant care higher / yr in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

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: 100.9 → 104.5
Rent Delta: -$120/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $120/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $10K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - 4% higher cost of living
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.9 to 104.5 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $120/mo ($1,440/yr) from $1,977 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to $1,857 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson sits #287 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is #338/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,780 higher ($68,404 → $78,184). Labor-market size: 1,402,180 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,317,590 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs Maryland at 46 (F, #45/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 104.5
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Rent (2BR)
$1,977/mo
$1,857/mo
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Wages
$68,404
$78,184
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Crime
210 per 100K
425 per 100K
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Schools
17.8:1
14:1
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$14,631/yr
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Environment
2736 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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to see what you'd need to earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
-

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