Baltimore - MD vs St. Louis - MO: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Baltimore - MD is roughly 45% more expensive than St. Louis - MO in typical home value.

Baltimore vs St. Louis: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $2,164 a month in principal and interest in Baltimore and $1,489 in St. Louis, a gap of $675 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,937 in Baltimore and $1,427 in St. Louis, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Baltimore and 1.0 times rent in St. Louis, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 17.1 years of rent in Baltimore and 16.0 in St. Louis; the lower ratio in St. Louis means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +2.2% in Baltimore and +5.4% in St. Louis; over just the last three months the change was -0.1% in Baltimore and +0.9% in St. Louis.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Baltimore and 100.1% in St. Louis, after 16 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 30% and 29% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Baltimore.

The number of homes for sale is up 11% on a year ago in Baltimore and up 9% on a year ago in St. Louis.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.