ZIP 21218
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12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
November. Asking rents in ZIP 21218 usually run 1% below trend in November and 0.8% above it in June, about $26 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 21218 is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in ZIP 21218 changed +1.5% over the year to September 2026. Across the 124 Maryland ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.6%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in ZIP 21218 rose 32.5% while median household income rose 32.9% ($47,029 to $62,488). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 21218 is 37.3% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 4 months in a row, and rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($62,488) is $1,562 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 1-bedroom ($1,450); a 2-bedroom is $1,770.
3rd cheapest of 20 ZIP codes in Baltimore.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 21218. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
Who lives here
ZIP 21218 (Baltimore, MD) is roughly split between renters and owners, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 44.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 21218 in Baltimore, MD has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in ZIP 21218 in Baltimore, MD has increased by $314 per month, settling near $1,454 after starting the period at $1,140. Median household income grew from $56,250 to $62,488 between 2021 and 2024, a 11.1% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 16.4 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 47,081 to 44,014 between 2021 and 2024, a 6.5% change. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 21218 in Baltimore, MD reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Tips for renters in ZIP 21218
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 21218 covers Baltimore, MD. The median rent here is $1,454/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $1,450/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $1,770/mo.
At 28% of local median household income ($62,488/yr), ZIP 21218 ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.5% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 21218 compare to the rest of Baltimore?
At $1,454/mo, rent takes ~28% of ZIP 21218's median household income ($62,488/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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