Moving to Maryland from California
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from California to Maryland — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from California to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 4.6% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $67,762 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from California to Maryland.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,762
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.6% less
Groceries
pay 7.5% more
Transportation
pay 0.5% less
Housing
pay 22.2% less
Childcare
pay 7.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Maryland cost about 16% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How California and Maryland stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maryland performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Maryland performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California performs better than Maryland across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Maryland generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California generally does better on family life, though Maryland leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sacramento | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 50°/33°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 59°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than California?
Generally yes: Maryland runs about 10% cheaper than California on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,940 in Maryland for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maryland safe?
Maryland performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to California?
The average high temperature in Annapolis is 68°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Annapolis receives around 47.3 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
