South Central PA or Maryland (York, Washington: sales, real estate, rental homes)

[joelaz]

I will be moving soon to a new job in Fort Meade, Maryland. While I have considered Maryland for living, I am not crazy about the idea because I hear of all the high taxes, strict gun laws, and other issues.

I am considering living in southern York County and commuting via I83. I don't mind a commute if I have better quality of life. I am a single professional with 1 dog, and looking at rental homes until my current home is sold.

All that said, what are pros/cons for each area as far as taxes, cost of living, rental home cost? What would you pick?

Thanks, Joel

[firefightermom]

We moved from MD to PA 2.5 years ago and haven't regreted it at all. My husband commutes down 81 to 70 to work in MD. He was born and raised in MD but we were done living there for multiple reasons.

Housing in PA is much cheaper. The house we bought in Franklin county, PA was $50 grand less than the identical house in Washington county, MD. Look out for the wage tax in your area...my husband's employer didn't know about it and didn't withhold it--we found out from another neighbor from MD. It is separate that state or local income tax. Ours is 1.7%, based on the school district we live in. Other districts near us are only 1%. PA taxes are less but it does seem they have some other strange ones that do add up.

[tranceFusion]

My parents live in York County and I stayed with them for a few months while working in Frederick, MD.

York County is very nice but that commute you are talking about is pure hell. 83 is jammed up almost to the PA line and so is the whole west side of 695.

I don't know where you are coming from but I have always lived in either MD or PA throughout my life. Baltimore is a bit scary in terms of crime, but there are many areas of MD that are nice and seem a world away from that non-sense.

As for taxes, if you look at the pure tax rates, MD looks much higher, but that's not the case in reality. For instance, the wage tax... MD figures their local tax into the state tax, so you don't have a separate local like in PA. Also, MD allows for tax deductions, unlike PA, so the average person is going to have a taxable income which is lower in MD than in PA. For homeowners, PA also has a school tax which is quite high and makes the property tax in line with the MD property taxes. PA also "taxes" people in a variety of manners such as higher car registration fees, local township or borough partnerships that drive utility prices up, etc. So basically, I wouldn't really factor taxes into a decision.

Rent in PA is going to get cheaper the further you get from the spot where 83 crosses the MD line. Of course, it also gets less commutable to MD in that direction

I think though for you, really, that drive is going to be quite difficult (1.5-2 hours each way). I don't know much about the southern suburbs of Baltimore but you should be able to look in north Baltimore County, Carroll County, or southern Frederick County and find something with a more rural feel similar to PA without having QUITE as far of a drive. But really, you are probably best finding something south of the city or locating a different job...

[bradjl2009]

Choose PA, there are so many people who live in York County who commute to work in Maryland. Even if you don't live in PA definitely come to PA to buy your clothes are there is no sales taxes on clothes here while it would be 6% in MD.

[RUNYYfan]

As traceFusion commented, the commute is pure he'll during most of the morning rush. I-83 is woefully narrow for the amount of traffic it handles and the west side of the Beltway, I-695, is jammed with everyone heading into Baltimore or down to I-70 for the connection to Washington, DC. While there may be backroads you can take, many times they can be even more congested, especially when there is an accident.

As for taxes and gun laws, PA is significantly better. For gun laws, it basically comes down to if you have domicile in Pennsylvania. If you do, then you can purchase a gun at a gun shop and go throgh the federal background check. I'd suggest checking out the PA Firearms Owners Association website for more info.

In terms of taxes, Maryland is heavily taxed from income and property to sales taxes which seem to be applied to everything that is bought or sold. Pennsylvania does have a county and school tax which are based on the assessed value of the property. Property tax rates in Pennsylvania are referred to as millage rates, and they are figured in mills. One mill is equal to 1/1,000 of a dollar. Basically, for every $1,000 in taxable value, a property owner will pay $1 in taxation per mill. Generally, the amounts are reasonable. Additionally, there is an annual income tax and the local wage tax noted above. For more info, check out the Department of Revenue website for PA.

Good luck!

[joelaz]

All, thanks for your replies so far. IF I do end up living in PA and taking the I-83/695 west route, are there any times better than others for commuting??

Joel

[tranceFusion]

I think you will have to leave pretty early or pretty late to beat the traffic. It doesn't stay busy around the clock, though. The biggest problem with 695 is that the driving can be very aggressive and accidents are common. Even without traffic, I think you are still talking 1hr 15min from the southern end of york county.

I'd also like to add to what I said about the taxes.. The taxes in PA change drastially between counties and townships within the county, so yours may vary significantly from someone down the street. Still, I think in most places, you are going to end up netting somewhere close to what you would pay in MD.

That said, you will likely save the biggest bucks on actual rent or home purchase price, much more than any difference in taxes.

A lot of people do the commute you are talking about, but I still think it is crazy. They usually see it as sacrificing their own time and lifestyle to give their spouse and kids a lifestyle they couldn't afford if they were working in MD with a MD cost of living, or working in PA with a lower wage. I think when you factor in commuting costs, it isn't so attractive anymore, and when you figure your lost hours of life, it is just nuts.. but to each their own

[firefightermom]

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

As for taxes, if you look at the pure tax rates, MD looks much higher, but that's not the case in reality. For instance, the wage tax... MD figures their local tax into the state tax, so you don't have a separate local like in PA. Also, MD allows for tax deductions, unlike PA, so the average person is going to have a taxable income which is lower in MD than in PA. For homeowners, PA also has a school tax which is quite high and makes the property tax in line with the MD property taxes. PA also "taxes" people in a variety of manners such as higher car registration fees, local township or borough partnerships that drive utility prices up, etc. So basically, I wouldn't really factor taxes into a decision.

I disagree...when I lived in MD, I had a small townhouse with a postage stamp lawn, maybe .16 acres? Now I have .50 acres and a single family home. I remember thinking how high our PA taxes were until we pulled out our old MD taxes...we are paying just a little less than we did and we have a lot more property. My car registration fees are less here than MD and my utilities are less here also. My township doesn't even have a real estate tax. No tax on clothing saves me a bundle on a family of 4.