Maryland 9th Most Expensive Place to Live (Baltimore, Bethesda: real estate, mortgage)

[Mr Beco]

CNBC: Maryland 9th Most Expensive Place to Live
An average home in the DC suburbs will cost you half a million dollars, the cable network says.

When comparing the costs of everything from real estate to red meat, Maryland is one of the most expensive places in the United States to call home, according to a survey of the 50 states by CNBC. The state ranks as the ninth-most expensive state, to be exact, with the driving force being home prices in the “Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick Metro” area averaging $577,834.

Other things will also cost you more in Maryland than they would in, say, Mississippi, the survey says. A pound of ground beef is $3.39, a month of heating or cooling is more than $200 and a doctor’s visit is about $83.

So, which states are more expensive than Maryland? Massachusetts is 8th, Rhode Island is 7th, California is 6th, New Jersey is 5th, New York is 4th, Connecticut is 3rd and the youngest states—Alaska and Hawaii, respectively—are the most expensive places to live.

What do you think? Is Maryland worth the cost? Would you trade living in “The Free State” for a state that costs less?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Barry Rock

CNBC: Maryland 9th Most Expensive Place to Live
An average home in the DC suburbs will cost you half a million dollars...

What do you think?

I think that the DC suburbs are NOT Maryland.

[Noble Savage]

The DC suburbs have differences, but what is "Maryland"? You have the Baltimore burbs, the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, Baltimore, they're all like little HS cliques.

[marlinfshr]

I like living on the eastern shore where it is still affordable. To me this is MD over here. I grew up in PG county back when it was nice and affordable as well. When I graduated back in 86 we got out of there. Haven't looked back since. I will admit to liking the annapolis area but it is much to expensive. I'll just stay right here.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

The DC suburbs have differences, but what is "Maryland"? You have the Baltimore burbs, the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, Baltimore, they're all like little HS cliques.

I would say Maryland these days is a disparate collection of VERY different regional populations that are barely functioning together as a working government jurisdiction.

Whatever "Maryland" was a unified state has been nearly completely undermined by MOM. Past governors, even Glendening, understood the diversity of the state and tried to find a place somewhere to the right of Hugo Chavez to govern from to please the liberal majority and respect the minority regions.

[Mr Beco]

Originally Posted by MrRational

I think that the DC suburbs are NOT Maryland.

Some say they are, but this was a cut and paste.

[Johnbiggs]

I'm surprised it's not higher.

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by Johnbiggs

I'm surprised it's not higher.

The Eastern Shore and far west in MD brought the ranking down. Knock those 2 areas off and you will place higher.

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by MrRational

I think that the DC suburbs are NOT Maryland.

That's weird, because I live in the DC suburbs and my driver's license says Maryland on it. Can you please tell me where I live?

[bande1102]

Nope. Not worth it.

I've lived in Maryland my whole life. I bought years ago so, for me, the mortgage isn't the issue. Everything else is ridiculous. Despite having a ton of equity in my property, I can't afford to move up even if I wanted to. Also, I will never pay half a million for a house on a postage stamp lot in the middle of suburbia and sprawl. I'd love to move to a more affordable area of MD, like the Shore or Western MD; but the jobs just aren't there.

If I were to move to Maryland today, my quality of life would be horrible. I wouldn't even be able to afford my current house.