Welcome to the cheapest places to live in Maryland, where you’ll find affordability at the Mason Dixon line in the Old Line State.
Maryland’s affordable cities offer a range of lifestyle options. There are trendy cities like Baltimore and North Bethesda. Ocean City North and South provide affordable staycations. And for those who love the great outdoors, Chesapeake Bay cities like Rock Hall and Deale offer crabbing and fishing.
With Saturday Night Science, we analyzed factors such as the cost of living, home prices, and overall affordability to find the cheapest places to live in Maryland.
$52,977 median income · $945 median rent · #2 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Allegany County, Maryland
Cheap living and college students practically go hand in hand so it’s fitting that, Frostburg, our most affordable place to live in Maryland is also where Frostburg State University is located.
We’re sure the area’s median rent rate of $945 is popular with pupils and long-term residents alike. The rate also happens to be the third best in Maryland. A rank that makes jumping into homeownership slightly less appealing. However, those who do put down roots here reap financial benefits as well. The area also ranks highly for its median home value, nabbing the No. 2 spot for best in the state.
And for all that money burning a hole in your pocket, Frostburg has a decent number of ways for you to spend it. Activities available range from dishing out a few bucks to load up on gas and drive to the nearby scenic spot of Dans Rock Overlook to getting a round of drinks–and maybe a bottle of wine or two — for the gang at Toasted Goat Winery.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$48,162 median income · $741 median rent · #1 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Allegany County, Maryland
Cumberland’s motto is “Come for a Visit, Stay for Life,” and that might just happen to you after you realize how inexpensive the city really is. Cumberland’s population has been slowly diminishing in recent years, which is great news for newcomers who can buy the cheapest homes in Maryland. And if you’re a cyclist, you’ll have all the free entertainment you’ll ever need journeying through the Great Allegheny Passage.
While the rent in Cumberland is the cheapest you’ll see on this list at at $741/month, that’s not what earned Cumberland the #2 spot on this list. It’s really because at a median price of $152,202 for homes and a median income of $48,162 for residents, the city has the second best home price to income ratio in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$52,221 median income · $1,114 median rent · #8 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Washington County, Maryland
Hagerstown, in Maryland’s Great Appalachian Valley, offers an affordable lifestyle with an overall cost of living index of 102. It has a $300,051 average home price that is the eighth lowest in the state, according to Zillow.
The city thrives as Washington County’s economic epicenter, coupling a low 7.18% unemployment rate with a $1,114 average rental price. That means you can have your blue crab and eat it too.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$58,576 median income · $1,318 median rent · #5 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Wicomico County, Maryland
Salisbury, nestled in eastern Maryland, ranks as the fourth most economical city in Maryland with a compelling mix of low living costs and a strong local economy. Housing costs propel it to its current ranking, including a modest $264,545 and attractive $1,318. Home prices are typically the big drivers in cost from town to town in Maryland.
Salisbury has an 103 overall cost of living index, which comes in 18.0 points lower than the state average. You’ll love the affordable things to do in town, like visiting the Salisbury Zoological Park for an afternoon with the kids.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$58,640 median income · $1,382 median rent · #12 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Cecil County, Maryland
Elkton snuck onto the list of the least expensive locales in Maryland this year. With an overall cost of living index of 103, the city is cheap for Maryland but more expensive than the national average.
Relative to the rest of the list, Elkton scored well for utilities, meaning you’ll pay less for heat and save that money for heating a campfire during a camping trip to Elk Neck State Forest.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$47,323 median income · $1,058 median rent · #6 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Dorchester County, Maryland
Cambridge, another city on the state’s Eastern Shore, is the sixth most affordable city in Maryland for 2026. A low 104 cost of living index complements a $266,444 average home price and a $47,323 average income.
The low cost of living in Cambridge makes it a “Charm on the Shore,” where you can visit DC or Baltimore for a long weekend without worrying about your wallet.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$64,004 median income · $1,586 median rent · #4 home prices in Maryland
Fruitland, charming place to call your home, ranks as the seventh most affordable place to live in Maryland. With a median home value of $252,664 and a median rent of $1,586, it offers some of the most reasonable housing prices in the state.
It’s located a short drive away from Salisbury, making it easy to access all of the amenities that a larger town has to offer.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$62,177 median income · $1,331 median rent · #3 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Baltimore city, Maryland
The biggest city in Maryland, Baltimore just makes the cut for cheapest places in the state.
Charm City has a whole lot of charm for those trying to live on a budget and still have the best dang blue crabs in the country. Historically a working-class port town, Baltimore has kept housing affordable for all its residents. But with over 50 neighborhoods, be warned that not everywhere is going to be equally cheap. If you end up living in Riverside, Inner Harbor or Fell’s Point, Baltimore’s affordability might not be as noticeable to you. The median home price in Baltimore is $188,101 and the median income is $62,177, putting the city in top ten statewide for home price to income ratio. As for renters, Baltimore is actually the least affordable place on this list.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$74,826 median income · $1,363 median rent · #11 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Harford County, Maryland
The Northeast is notorious for sky-high costs of living and at times, Maryland, can be no exception. However, that’s not the case in Aberdeen. This community is only a 45-minute drive from Baltimore and is an affordable option for those who commute to bigger cities.
Unlike in pricier areas, the median home value here is only $343,948. A price tag that is affordable for those bringing in Aberdeen’s median household income of $74,826. If your budget is tighter, the area’s median rent rate of $1,363 isn’t bad too.
The community doesn’t just have family-friendly prices either, it also has plenty of family-friendly fun, like catching a baseball game at Ripken Stadium. And residents don’t have to worry too much about whether or not they’ll be able to afford tickets to the next game either, considering that Aberdeen has a 5.75% unemployment rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$81,438 median income · $1,091 median rent · #22 home prices in Maryland
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maryland’s statewide median.
Maryland statewide median: $429,705
Maryland statewide median: $103,678
On the map
Where your money goes furthest in Maryland
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Old Line State for 2026
Determining affordability for places in Maryland boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 for Maryland using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in Maryland to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 42 places in Maryland that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in Maryland with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Frostburg.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cheapest places to live in Maryland.
The full plate
Cheapest Places To Live In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frostburg | 6,977 | 88 | $52,977 | $176,235 | $945 |
| 2 | Cumberland | 18,804 | 93 | $48,162 | $152,202 | $741 |
| 3 | Hagerstown | 43,665 | 102 | $52,221 | $300,051 | $1,114 |
| 4 | Salisbury | 33,285 | 103 | $58,576 | $264,545 | $1,318 |
| 5 | Elkton | 15,910 | 103 | $58,640 | $367,248 | $1,382 |
| 6 | Cambridge | 13,152 | 104 | $47,323 | $266,444 | $1,058 |
| 7 | Fruitland | 5,801 | 106 | $64,004 | $252,664 | $1,586 |
| 8 | Baltimore | 573,243 | 109 | $62,177 | $188,101 | $1,331 |
| 9 | Aberdeen | 17,298 | 110 | $74,826 | $343,948 | $1,363 |
| 10 | Berlin | 5,232 | 110 | $81,438 | $440,463 | $1,091 |
| 11 | Brunswick | 8,450 | 112 | $118,025 | $409,509 | $1,217 |
| 12 | Hampstead | 6,251 | 112 | $97,871 | $439,359 | $1,309 |
| 13 | Taneytown | 7,932 | 113 | $87,621 | $395,402 | $1,059 |
| 14 | Westminster | 20,445 | 114 | $86,219 | $462,869 | $1,476 |
| 15 | District Heights | 5,891 | 115 | $86,955 | $342,105 | $1,379 |
| 16 | Greenbelt | 24,678 | 117 | $85,997 | $285,336 | $1,848 |
| 17 | Bladensburg | 9,583 | 117 | $63,179 | $317,188 | $1,656 |
| 18 | Thurmont | 6,254 | 117 | $98,125 | $397,682 | $927 |
| 19 | Frederick | 83,395 | 118 | $97,069 | $466,011 | $1,764 |
| 20 | Bel Air | 10,585 | 118 | $74,605 | $461,262 | $1,492 |
| 21 | Easton | 17,308 | 119 | $74,653 | $451,055 | $1,197 |
| 22 | Havre de Grace | 14,994 | 119 | $105,817 | $404,055 | $1,416 |
| 23 | Manchester | 5,439 | 119 | $121,676 | $462,578 | $1,358 |
| 24 | Ocean City | 6,903 | 120 | $77,750 | $441,288 | $1,353 |
| 25 | New Carrollton | 13,564 | 121 | $81,509 | $399,605 | $1,749 |
| 26 | Glenarden | 6,344 | 122 | $106,414 | $413,332 | $1,620 |
| 27 | Riverdale Park | 7,270 | 125 | $120,043 | $486,910 | $1,679 |
| 28 | Laurel | 29,798 | 126 | $100,504 | $476,648 | $1,873 |
| 29 | Walkersville | 6,414 | 126 | $130,893 | $466,394 | $1,481 |
| 30 | College Park | 34,540 | 127 | $69,721 | $437,694 | $1,912 |
| 31 | La Plata | 10,683 | 127 | $121,208 | $481,282 | $1,559 |
| 32 | Cheverly | 6,096 | 130 | $123,535 | $468,344 | $1,907 |
| 33 | Hyattsville | 20,966 | 131 | $91,941 | $403,229 | $1,835 |
| 34 | Chesapeake Beach | 6,456 | 132 | $138,895 | $462,696 | $1,756 |
| 35 | Bowie | 57,926 | 133 | $141,995 | $524,118 | $2,330 |
| 36 | Mount Rainier | 8,245 | 133 | $68,505 | $448,597 | $1,457 |
| 37 | Mount Airy | 9,805 | 137 | $151,324 | $639,007 | $1,854 |
| 38 | Annapolis | 40,720 | 139 | $113,860 | $618,838 | $1,860 |
| 39 | Gaithersburg | 69,825 | 141 | $112,467 | $527,608 | $2,058 |
| 40 | Poolesville | 5,764 | 152 | $205,919 | $736,648 | $1,831 |
| 41 | Takoma Park | 17,632 | 156 | $108,136 | $686,399 | $1,432 |
| 42 | Rockville | 67,671 | 157 | $128,649 | $618,892 | $2,274 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, cost-of-living data. 42 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Maryland Affordability Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Maryland for 2026, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Maryland.
The cheapest cities in Maryland are Frostburg, Cumberland, Hagerstown, Salisbury, Elkton, Cambridge, Fruitland, Baltimore, Aberdeen, and Berlin.
