District of Columbia and Maryland at a glance
Moving between District of Columbia and Maryland changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, District of Columbia leaves $13,794 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Maryland leaves $18,711.
Maryland comes out ahead by $4,917 a year ($410 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 681,294 people in 1 counties in District of Columbia and 6,206,011 people in 24 counties in Maryland.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $2,525 in District of Columbia and $2,517 in Maryland, which leaves take-home pay of $47,814 and $47,821.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $73,276 in District of Columbia and $74,484 in Maryland, a difference of $1,208. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $2,204 a month in District of Columbia and $1,801 in Maryland, so Maryland is $403 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $2,524 and $2,521, and gasoline $1,611 and $1,539. Together the basics cost $34,019 a year in District of Columbia and $29,110 in Maryland.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $109,870 in District of Columbia and $103,678 in Maryland. Homeowners pay a median of $4,312 a year in property tax in District of Columbia and $4,093 in Maryland. Commuters travel 30.0 minutes each way on average in District of Columbia and 31.1 in Maryland.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.