Northeast · Updated October 2026
Maryland in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$2,103/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
24.5%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
6.5%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.95%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
102.0
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
5th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Maryland stands out: the lowest natural-disaster risk and the 3rd highest median household income among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 6th heaviest state and local tax bill, the 6th most expensive two-bedroom rent and the 8th highest everyday costs.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 12.3% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 6th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Baltimore (Baltimore Washington Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 46°F | 27°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 66°F | 44°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 87°F | 65°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 68°F | 47°F |
$2,006/mo two-bedroom · $1,625 one-bedroom (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA)
Baltimore is a rowhouse city with world-class hospitals, real neighbourhood character and cheap housing for the Northeast. It also carries a serious violent-crime problem that varies enormously block to block, and a complicated relationship with Washington an hour south.
$2,006/mo two-bedroom · $1,625 one-bedroom (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA)
Annapolis is Maryland's small, historic sailing capital, home to the Naval Academy, with a walkable colonial centre on the Chesapeake. Expensive, charming, and within commuting distance of both Baltimore and DC.
$2,438/mo two-bedroom · $2,204 one-bedroom (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Silver Spring is a dense, diverse, transit-connected suburb on Washington's northern edge — Metro access, walkable downtown, and federal employment. Expensive, but far cheaper than DC proper.
$2,438/mo two-bedroom · $2,204 one-bedroom (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Rockville is an affluent Montgomery County suburb with a large biotech corridor, excellent schools and a big Asian community. Expensive, well-served by Metro, and firmly oriented toward Washington.
$2,438/mo two-bedroom · $2,204 one-bedroom (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Frederick is a historic town at the foot of the Blue Ridge with a genuinely charming downtown, biotech employment and a long but feasible commute to DC. More affordable than Montgomery County, and growing fast.
$1,184/mo two-bedroom · $995 one-bedroom (Worcester County, MD)
Ocean City is Maryland's boardwalk beach resort — packed all summer, quiet all winter, with cheap off-season housing and an economy that is almost entirely seasonal tourism.
$1,284/mo two-bedroom · $982 one-bedroom (Hagerstown, MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Hagerstown is a western Maryland city at the junction of I-70 and I-81, with distribution centres and Civil War battlefields nearby. Much cheaper than the DC suburbs, with an older downtown still recovering.
$1,428/mo two-bedroom · $1,102 one-bedroom (Salisbury, MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Salisbury is the hub of Maryland's Eastern Shore, with Salisbury University and poultry giant Perdue as major employers. Low costs and a short drive to Ocean City; flat, humid and a long way from the big cities.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Maryland’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 6.5% (Maryland tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 12.3% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $2,103 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,801, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $344 more than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 102.0 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 121.0 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 24.5% of the state’s median household income of $102,905.
Maryland recorded 420.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 15th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are hurricanes and flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maryland’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 5th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Baltimore, Annapolis, Silver Spring, Rockville and Frederick. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.