Before you decide to relocate to Maryland, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.
These are the places in Maryland that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2020-2024 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 42 places in Maryland with more than 5,000 people.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Maryland for 2026.
$128,649 median income · $618,892 median home · #4 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Rockville is a U.S. city located in the central region of Montgomery County, Maryland. It is the county seat and is a major incorporated city of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The 2010 census tabulated Rockville’s population at 61,209, making it the third largest incorporated city in Maryland, behind Baltimore and Frederick. Rockville is the largest incorporated city in Montgomery County, Maryland, although the nearby census-designated place of Germantown is more populous.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,136 median income · $686,399 median home · #2 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called “Azalea City”, is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone. A planned commuter suburb, it is situated along the Metropolitan Branch of the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, just northeast of Washington, D.C., and it borders the neighborhood of Takoma, Washington, D.C. It is governed by an elected mayor and six elected councilmembers, who form the city council, and an appointed city manager, under a council-manager style of government. The city’s population was 16,715 at the 2010 national census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$205,919 median income · $736,648 median home · #1 home prices in Maryland
Poolesville is a town in the western portion of Montgomery County, Maryland. The population was 4,883 at the 2010 United States Census. It is surrounded by the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and is considered a distant bedroom community for commuters to Washington, D.C.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,467 median income · $527,608 median home · #6 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Gaithersburg ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. At the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 59,933, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$113,860 median income · $618,838 median home · #5 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 25 miles south of Baltimore and about 30 miles east of Washington, D.C., Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Its population was measured at 38,394 by the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$151,324 median income · $639,007 median home · #3 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Mount Airy is a town located in Carroll and Frederick counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and Baltimore Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 9,288.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,995 median income · $524,118 median home · #7 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George’s County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2014 CNN Money ranked Bowie 28th in its Best Places to Live in America list.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$68,505 median income · $448,597 median home · #19 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$138,895 median income · $462,696 median home · #15 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Calvert County, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town’s population was recorded as 5,753 in the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$91,941 median income · $403,229 median home · #27 home prices in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 17,557 at the 2010 United States Census.
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
Mapping the most expensive places in Maryland
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Old Line State For 2026
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Maryland are how much money you make and how much you have to spend to live there.
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing, it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Maryland to figure out which is the most expensive.
You are left with a “Cost of Living Index” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index to rank all of the 42 places in Maryland that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Maryland according to the data is Rockville. We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive places to live in Maryland. The median Maryland home is 46 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville | 157 | 67,671 | $128,649 | $618,892 | 4.8x |
| 2 | Takoma Park | 156 | 17,632 | $108,136 | $686,399 | 6.3x |
| 3 | Poolesville | 152 | 5,764 | $205,919 | $736,648 | 3.6x |
| 4 | Gaithersburg | 141 | 69,825 | $112,467 | $527,608 | 4.7x |
| 5 | Annapolis | 139 | 40,720 | $113,860 | $618,838 | 5.4x |
| 6 | Mount Airy | 137 | 9,805 | $151,324 | $639,007 | 4.2x |
| 7 | Bowie | 133 | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,118 | 3.7x |
| 8 | Mount Rainier | 133 | 8,245 | $68,505 | $448,597 | 6.5x |
| 9 | Chesapeake Beach | 132 | 6,456 | $138,895 | $462,696 | 3.3x |
| 10 | Hyattsville | 131 | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 | 4.4x |
| 11 | Cheverly | 130 | 6,096 | $123,535 | $468,344 | 3.8x |
| 12 | College Park | 127 | 34,540 | $69,721 | $437,694 | 6.3x |
| 13 | La Plata | 127 | 10,683 | $121,208 | $481,282 | 4.0x |
| 14 | Laurel | 126 | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,648 | 4.7x |
| 15 | Walkersville | 126 | 6,414 | $130,893 | $466,394 | 3.6x |
| 16 | Riverdale Park | 125 | 7,270 | $120,043 | $486,910 | 4.1x |
| 17 | Glenarden | 122 | 6,344 | $106,414 | $413,332 | 3.9x |
| 18 | New Carrollton | 121 | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,605 | 4.9x |
| 19 | Ocean City | 120 | 6,903 | $77,750 | $441,288 | 5.7x |
| 20 | Easton | 119 | 17,308 | $74,653 | $451,055 | 6.0x |
| 21 | Havre de Grace | 119 | 14,994 | $105,817 | $404,055 | 3.8x |
| 22 | Manchester | 119 | 5,439 | $121,676 | $462,578 | 3.8x |
| 23 | Frederick | 118 | 83,395 | $97,069 | $466,011 | 4.8x |
| 24 | Bel Air | 118 | 10,585 | $74,605 | $461,262 | 6.2x |
| 25 | Greenbelt | 117 | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,336 | 3.3x |
| 26 | Bladensburg | 117 | 9,583 | $63,179 | $317,188 | 5.0x |
| 27 | Thurmont | 117 | 6,254 | $98,125 | $397,682 | 4.1x |
| 28 | District Heights | 115 | 5,891 | $86,955 | $342,105 | 3.9x |
| 29 | Westminster | 114 | 20,445 | $86,219 | $462,869 | 5.4x |
| 30 | Taneytown | 113 | 7,932 | $87,621 | $395,402 | 4.5x |
| 31 | Brunswick | 112 | 8,450 | $118,025 | $409,509 | 3.5x |
| 32 | Hampstead | 112 | 6,251 | $97,871 | $439,359 | 4.5x |
| 33 | Aberdeen | 110 | 17,298 | $74,826 | $343,948 | 4.6x |
| 34 | Berlin | 110 | 5,232 | $81,438 | $440,463 | 5.4x |
| 35 | Baltimore | 109 | 573,243 | $62,177 | $188,101 | 3.0x |
| 36 | Fruitland | 106 | 5,801 | $64,004 | $252,664 | 3.9x |
| 37 | Cambridge | 104 | 13,152 | $47,323 | $266,444 | 5.6x |
| 38 | Salisbury | 103 | 33,285 | $58,576 | $264,545 | 4.5x |
| 39 | Elkton | 103 | 15,910 | $58,640 | $367,248 | 6.3x |
| 40 | Hagerstown | 102 | 43,665 | $52,221 | $300,051 | 5.7x |
| 41 | Cumberland | 93 | 18,804 | $48,162 | $152,202 | 3.2x |
| 42 | Frostburg | 88 | 6,977 | $52,977 | $176,235 | 3.3x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 42 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Maryland For 2026
Well, there you have it, the places in Maryland that have the highest cost of living, with Rockville ranking as the most expensive city in the Old Line State.
The most expensive cities in Maryland are Rockville, Takoma Park, Poolesville, Gaithersburg, Annapolis, Mount Airy, Bowie, Mount Rainier, Chesapeake Beach, and Hyattsville. Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Expensive Places In Maryland FAQs
What is the most expensive place to live in Maryland?
Rockville is the most expensive place to live in Maryland for 2026. The median home there runs $618,892, and it posts the highest cost of living of the 42 places we scored.
What are the 10 most expensive cities in Maryland?
The ten most expensive cities in Maryland are Rockville, Takoma Park, Poolesville, Gaithersburg, Annapolis, Mount Airy, Bowie, Mount Rainier, Chesapeake Beach, and Hyattsville. We ranked all 42 places with more than 5,000 residents on home prices, incomes, and an overall cost of living index.
How expensive are homes in Rockville?
The median home value in Rockville is $618,892, versus $429,705 across Maryland as a whole. Across the ten most expensive cities, the median home runs $573,223.
What salary do you need to live in the most expensive parts of Maryland?
The median household income in the ten most expensive Maryland cities starts at $68,505, and in Rockville it is $128,649. If your paycheck is closer to the statewide median of $103,678, these places will squeeze your budget.
What is the cheapest place to live in Maryland?
Frostburg is the cheapest of the 42 Maryland places we ranked on cost of living. It sits at the very bottom of the same index that put Rockville on top.
