Philadelphia - PA vs Baltimore - MD: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Baltimore - MD is roughly 3% more expensive than Philadelphia - PA in typical home value. Baltimore - MD sees more listings with price cuts (30.2% vs 26.3%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Philadelphia vs Baltimore: what the numbers say

At today's 7.40% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $2,138 a month in principal and interest in Philadelphia and $2,199 in Baltimore, a gap of $60 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,903 in Philadelphia and $1,937 in Baltimore, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia and 1.1 times rent in Baltimore, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 16.9 years of rent in Philadelphia and 17.1 in Baltimore; the lower ratio in Philadelphia means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +5.4% in Philadelphia and +2.2% in Baltimore; over just the last three months the change was +0.7% in Philadelphia and -0.1% in Baltimore.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Philadelphia and 100.1% in Baltimore, after 15 and 16 days on the market, with price cuts on 26% and 30% 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 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia and up 11% on a year ago in Baltimore.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-15), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.