State profile
Maryland Cost of Living Comparison
Maryland's 2024 price level is 104.959, 4.96% above the national level, and it is one of only seven jurisdictions priced above the U.S. level in every category: goods, rents, utilities and other services.
Updated
104.959Maryland all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 44 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Maryland | New Hampshire | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 104.959 | 104.165 | +0.794 points |
| Rent price level | 121.079 | 114.947 | +6.132 points |
| Home value | $419,900±$1,385 | $402,500±$2,808 | +$17,400 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,740±$9 | $1,642±$21 | +$98 |
| Household income | $103,678±$597 | $99,031±$1,123 | +$4,647 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $4,093±$21 | $6,667±$35 | −$2,574 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Maryland scales to $3,970 in New Hampshire at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Maryland: expensive across the board, high household incomes
There is no cheap category in Maryland. Goods (102.524) rank 42nd of 51, rents (121.079) 42nd, utilities (110.860) 39th and other services (101.596) 38th. A household budget cannot lean on one inexpensive line to offset an expensive lease.
Household incomes are among the highest in the country. The median household income of $103,678 ranks third, but real per capita personal income, which adjusts for prices and averages over every resident, is $61,111, rank 16. Renters face a two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,740 (rank 8) and spend 30.8% of income on gross rent.
Owners pay a lot in both value and tax, ranking 12th and 13th nationally on the two medians.
The state government collected $32.92 billion in fiscal 2025, $5,255 per resident (rank 14). Individual income tax supplied 35.6%, general sales 21.5%, other selective sales 15.1% and corporate income tax 14.8%.
Relative prices have edged down from 106.396 in 2020 to 104.959 in 2024, a change of minus 1.437 points.
Maryland's five neighbours span more than twenty points. The District of Columbia is far above it at 109.901, with a two-bedroom median of $2,083; Virginia (101.104) and Delaware (99.808) are a little cheaper; Pennsylvania (97.572) cheaper again; and West Virginia, at 89.497 with a median home value of $162,600, is a different economy entirely. New Hampshire (104.165) is Maryland's closest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Maryland
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 104.959 | 44 | 4.96% above |
| Goods | 102.524 | 42 | 2.52% above |
| Housing (rents) | 121.079 | 42 | 21.08% above |
| Utilities | 110.860 | 39 | 10.86% above |
| Other services | 101.596 | 38 | 1.60% above |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $61,111 | 16 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 106.396 · 2021 106.099 · 2022 104.890 · 2023 104.602 · 2024 104.959 (−1.437 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $2,347±$8 · rank 10, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $753±$4 · rank 12
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 30.8%±0.4 · rank 15
Maryland state tax collections, FY2025
$32.92 billion in total, $5,255 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $11.70 billion | 35.6% | $1,868 |
| General sales | $7.08 billion | 21.5% | $1,130 |
| Property | $1.05 billion | 3.2% | $168 |
| Motor fuel | $1.25 billion | 3.8% | $199 |
| Other selective sales | $4.98 billion | 15.1% | $795 |
| Corporate income | $4.89 billion | 14.8% | $780 |
| Licenses | $1.22 billion | 3.7% | $194 |
| Severance | not levied | ||
| Other taxes | $752.1 million | 2.3% | $120 |
Maryland beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 104.959 | 121.079 | 102.524 | $1,740 |
| Delaware | 99.808 | 102.015 | 96.155 | $1,397 |
| District of Columbia | 109.901 | 154.984 | 106.502 | $2,083 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.572 | 85.068 | 99.357 | $1,245 |
| Virginia | 101.104 | 106.799 | 100.368 | $1,481 |
| West Virginia | 89.497 | 54.241 | 96.539 | $896 |
Before you budget a move
For Maryland, record both the home address and employer location before preparing annual taxes. County and cross-border details can change a household calculation that the state price index does not attempt. Use approved tax liabilities and actual benefits when converting compensation into available annual cash.
A Baltimore-area move and a Washington-area commute may create different parking, transit and dwelling requirements. Compare the same household size and lease utility terms. The statewide owner-value median and two-bedroom rent median come from different populations, so their ratio is not a personal rent-versus-buy answer.
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