Head-to-head
Maryland vs Virginia
Virginia runs 3.855 points cheaper than Maryland on the 2024 measure (101.104 vs 104.959); utilities (18.675 points) and rents (14.280 points) carry the difference, and Maryland owners pay $1,303 more a year in property tax at the median.
Updated
| Measure | Maryland | Virginia | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 104.959 | 101.104 | +3.855 points |
| Rent price level | 121.079 | 106.799 | +14.280 points |
| Home value | $419,900±$1,385 | $383,700±$1,024 | +$36,200 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,740±$9 | $1,481±$11 | +$259 |
| Household income | $103,678±$597 | $93,170±$458 | +$10,508 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $4,093±$21 | $2,790±$10 | +$1,303 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Maryland scales to $3,853 in Virginia at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Maryland vs Virginia: the commuter's choice
Energy and rent separate the two. Maryland's utilities parity is 110.860 against Virginia's 92.185, and its rent parity 121.079 against 106.799. Virginia's median two-bedroom is $259 a month cheaper. Goods and other services differ by about two points or less.
Owners pay more in Maryland on both value and tax. The median home value is $419,900 against $383,700, and the median real estate tax paid $4,093 against $2,790. Owners with a mortgage report median monthly costs of $2,347 and $2,127.
Maryland's household incomes are higher, $103,678 against $93,170, but price-adjusted income is almost identical: real per capita personal income is $61,111 in Maryland and $61,914 in Virginia, only $803 apart. Once prices are counted, the higher Maryland paycheck largely disappears.
The two tax mixes look alike. Individual income tax supplied 35.6% of Maryland's fiscal 2025 state collections and 47.3% of Virginia's; general sales 21.5% and 18.8%. Total collections were $5,255 per resident in Maryland and $4,533 in Virginia.
Relative prices have converged since 2020: Maryland fell from 106.396 to 104.959 while Virginia barely moved, from 101.003 to 101.104.
For a household working on one side of the Washington region and living on the other, the corridor and county matter more than either statewide median. Write down residence and work location, the commute and the lease's utility terms; for a purchase, the median home value is only a search benchmark.
Price levels by category
| Measure | Maryland | Virginia | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 104.959 | 101.104 | +3.855 |
| Goods | 102.524 | 100.368 | +2.156 |
| Housing (rents) | 121.079 | 106.799 | +14.280 |
| Utilities | 110.860 | 92.185 | +18.675 |
| Other services | 101.596 | 100.233 | +1.363 |
| Real income per person (2017 $) | $61,111 | $61,914 | −$803 |
Two state tax mixes, FY2025
Maryland: $32.92 billion, $5,255 per resident. Virginia: $40.26 billion, $4,533 per resident.
| Tax | MD share | VA share | MD per resident | VA per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | 35.6% | 47.3% | $1,868 | $2,143 |
| General sales | 21.5% | 18.8% | $1,130 | $853 |
| Property | 3.2% | 0.1% | $168 | $6 |
| Motor fuel | 3.8% | 4.9% | $199 | $221 |
| Other selective sales | 15.1% | 13.5% | $795 | $614 |
| Corporate income | 14.8% | 11.1% | $780 | $501 |
| Licenses | 3.7% | 2.8% | $194 | $126 |
| Severance | not levied | 0.0% | — | $0 |
| Other taxes | 2.3% | 1.5% | $120 | $69 |
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