Local costs · Maryland
What a home costs across Maryland
Property-tax rates, insurance, and closing costs vary widely by county. Below are the state-wide rules that apply everywhere in Maryland, then every county with its own tax rate and insurance range.
Statewide facts
- Home insurance average
- About $1,392 per year for a standard HO-3 policy (NAIC 2022 state average). Individual counties run above or below this based on local hazard risk — see the table below.
- Transfer & recording tax
- Maryland state transfer tax: 0.50% of price — split 50/50County transfer & recordation taxes (typical, estimated): 1.50% of price — split 50/50 (estimated)First-time Maryland homebuyers: state transfer tax halved to 0.25% and payable by the seller.On the $436,300 state median home, the buyer’s customary share is about $4,363; the seller customarily covers about $4,363.
- Title insurance
- Maryland uses competitive (filed) rates. Rates are competitive rather than state-set, so we model title and settlement from a national declining-rate curve calibrated to published costs.
- State income tax
- Maryland income tax is modeled at about 4.08% effective for a married household at $100,000 (4.39% filing single). These are modeled effective rates from Tax Foundation 2026 brackets.
All 24 counties in Maryland
Effective property-tax rate (Census ACS) and a typical annual insurance range at the state median home value. Select a county for the full breakdown.
| County | Property tax | Insurance / yr |
|---|---|---|
| Allegany County | 1.06% | $680–$1,520typical $1,050 |
| Anne Arundel County | 0.85% | $830–$1,860typical $1,280 |
| Baltimore city | 1.46% | $850–$1,900typical $1,310 |
| Baltimore County | 1.07% | $860–$1,930typical $1,330 |
| Calvert County | 0.84% | $1,290–$2,870typical $1,980 |
| Caroline County | 0.90% | $1,900–$4,230typical $2,920 |
| Carroll County | 0.91% | $900–$2,000typical $1,380 |
| Cecil County | 0.89% | $880–$1,960typical $1,350 |
| Charles County | 1.01% | $890–$1,990typical $1,370 |
| Dorchester County | 0.94% | $1,590–$3,540typical $2,440 |
| Frederick County | 0.99% | $760–$1,700typical $1,170 |
| Garrett County | 0.78% | $770–$1,710typical $1,180 |
| Harford County | 0.89% | $800–$1,780typical $1,230 |
| Howard County | 1.17% | $750–$1,670typical $1,150 |
| Kent County | 0.91% | $1,550–$3,470typical $2,390 |
| Montgomery County | 0.86% | $850–$1,900typical $1,310 |
| Prince George's County | 1.12% | $810–$1,800typical $1,240 |
| Queen Anne's County | 0.78% | $960–$2,130typical $1,470 |
| Somerset County | 0.92% | $1,920–$4,290typical $2,960 |
| St. Mary's County | 0.84% | $1,420–$3,180typical $2,190 |
| Talbot County | 0.65% | $1,390–$3,100typical $2,140 |
| Washington County | 0.84% | $1,010–$2,250typical $1,550 |
| Wicomico County | 0.85% | $1,740–$3,870typical $2,670 |
| Worcester County | 0.73% | $1,740–$3,870typical $2,670 |
* Property-tax rate is approximate because the county’s Census median is top-coded.
How these numbers are built
Every figure comes from public data or our own math: Census ACS property taxes, NAIC insurance averages scaled by FEMA risk, and researched transfer-tax and title schedules.
Estimates, not advice. See the methodology for sources, vintages, and the honest gaps.