Moving to Maryland from Massachusetts
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Massachusetts to Maryland — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 8.4% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $68,700 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Baltimore averages 70°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer. Boston and Baltimore are about 360 mi apart.
Is Maryland cheaper than Massachusetts?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 9.5% less
Groceries
pay 6.8% less
Transportation
pay 0.1% more
Housing
pay 18.2% less
Childcare
pay 2.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.6% 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.
What salary do you need in Maryland?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →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 14% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Massachusetts to Maryland.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Maryland 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
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in adult smoking 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 Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts performs better than Maryland across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Maryland vs Massachusetts
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 88°/71°F (31°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 60°/44°F (16°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Baltimore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 46°/32°F (8.0°/-0.1°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 49°/34°F (9.5°/1.2°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.5°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 69°/51°F (20.8°/10.4°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 79°/61°F (26.3°/16.1°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 89°/71°F (31.6°/21.5°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 92°/75°F (33.4°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 90°/73°F (32.2°/22.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.5°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 71°/54°F (21.9°/12.3°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.4°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than Massachusetts?
Yes — Maryland is on average about 8% cheaper than Massachusetts. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,175 in Maryland on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Maryland safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maryland leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Baltimore is 70°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Baltimore receives around 42.4 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
