What is the cheapest city to buy a house in Maryland?

Baltimore, with a median closed price of $205,500 over its reporting window, among Maryland cities where Resideline tracked at least 100 closings inside the city limits.

Are these asking prices or sale prices?

Closed sale prices. Every price median is the price homes actually closed at inside the municipal boundary, not a listing price. The one column measured differently is realized appreciation, which uses the postal city, as the note under the table says.

Why does a cheap city show a high price per square foot?

Because the ranking median covers every property type that closed, condos and multi-family included, while the $/sqft column is single-family houses only. In cities where most sales are condos, the median price is low and the house $/sqft can still be high.

Is the appreciation figure a forecast?

No. It is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home, on repeat-sale pairs. It is historical and nominal, and it says what happened, not what will.

Cheapest Cities to Buy a House in Maryland (2026)

Ranked cheapest first by median closed price, this list covers Maryland cities with at least 100 tracked closings inside the city line. A low entry price only means something next to the per-square-foot figure, the realized appreciation and the time to contract, so those sit in the same table.

The ranking

#	City	Median closed price	Houses $/sqft	Realized appreciation	Days to contract	Closings	Window
1	Baltimore	$205,500	$153	3.86%/yr	22	4,994	six months
2	Cambridge	$249,000	$140	4.42%/yr	76	155	six months
3	Salisbury	$249,945	$161	4.70%/yr	36	244	six months
4	Hagerstown	$260,000	$155	4.28%/yr	22	367	six months
5	Parkville	$280,000	$185	3.81%/yr	15	346	12 months
6	Bel Air	$290,000	$221	3.98%/yr	11	248	12 months
7	Aberdeen	$299,000	$196	3.93%/yr	16	219	12 months
8	Elkton	$305,000	$180	4.83%/yr	12	211	12 months
9	Reisterstown	$343,500	$218	3.98%/yr	13	244	12 months
10	Westminster	$350,000	$211	4.37%/yr	10	220	12 months
11	Owings Mills	$355,000	$214	3.83%/yr	22	152	six months
12	Glen Burnie	$365,000	$245	4.10%/yr	13	358	six months
13	Laurel	$382,500	$298	3.94%/yr	20	153	six months
14	Waldorf	$409,450	$214	3.89%/yr	24	510	six months

1. Baltimore, $205,500

The median closed price in Baltimore is $205,500 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 49 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 4,994 closings there, roughly 832 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $153, measured on 1,227 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.86 percent a year (20,319 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 7.7 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Baltimore market page.

2. Cambridge, $249,000

Homes in Cambridge closed at a median of $249,000 over the last six months, about 60 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 155 closings sit behind that figure, about 26 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $140 per square foot across 105 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.42 percent a year between those sales, on 495 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home took 76 days to go under contract, across 67 listed closings. Full detail is on the Cambridge market page.

3. Salisbury, $249,945

The median closed price in Salisbury is $249,945 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 60 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 244 closings there, roughly 41 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $161 per square foot across 158 sales with usable living area. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.70 percent a year (1,930 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home took 36 days to go under contract, across 135 listed closings. About 6.5 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Salisbury market page.

4. Hagerstown, $260,000

Hagerstown's median closed price over the last six months was $260,000, around 63 percent of what the typical Maryland sale closed at. 367 closings sit behind that figure, about 61 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $155, measured on 228 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.28 percent a year (2,404 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 22 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 6.8 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Hagerstown market page.

5. Parkville, $280,000

Parkville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $280,000, around 67 percent of what the typical Maryland sale closed at. 346 closings sit behind that figure, about 29 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $185 per square foot across 240 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.81 percent a year between those sales, on 1,359 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 15 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 8.2 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Parkville market page.

6. Bel Air, $290,000

Homes in Bel Air closed at a median of $290,000 over the last 12 months, about 70 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 248 closings sit behind that figure, about 21 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $221, measured on 84 sales. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.98 percent a year between those sales, on 1,903 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 11 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Bel Air market page.

7. Aberdeen, $299,000

Homes in Aberdeen closed at a median of $299,000 over the last 12 months, about 72 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 219 closings sit behind that figure, about 18 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $196 per square foot across 180 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.93 percent a year between those sales, on 547 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 16 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Aberdeen market page.

8. Elkton, $305,000

The median closed price in Elkton is $305,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 73 percent of the state figure. 211 closings sit behind that figure, about 18 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $180, measured on 140 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.83 percent a year (1,153 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 12 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 6.8 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Elkton market page.

9. Reisterstown, $343,500

The median closed price in Reisterstown is $343,500 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 83 percent of the state figure. 244 closings sit behind that figure, about 20 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $218, measured on 126 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 3.98 percent a year (753 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 13 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 6.7 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Reisterstown market page.

10. Westminster, $350,000

Homes in Westminster closed at a median of $350,000 over the last 12 months, about 84 percent of the Maryland statewide median. Resideline tracked 220 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $211 per square foot across 132 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.37 percent a year between those sales, on 1,406 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 10 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. About 6.6 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Westminster market page.

11. Owings Mills, $355,000

The median closed price in Owings Mills is $355,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 85 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 152 closings there, roughly 25 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $214 per square foot across 32 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.83 percent a year between those sales, on 1,240 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 22 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Owings Mills market page.

12. Glen Burnie, $365,000

Homes in Glen Burnie closed at a median of $365,000 over the last six months, about 88 percent of the Maryland statewide median. Resideline tracked 358 closings there, roughly 60 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $245 per square foot across 266 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 4.10 percent a year between those sales, on 2,197 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 13 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Glen Burnie market page.

13. Laurel, $382,500

The median closed price in Laurel is $382,500 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. Resideline tracked 153 closings there, roughly 26 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $298 per square foot across 46 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.94 percent a year between those sales, on 1,914 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. The median listed home was under contract in 20 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Laurel market page.

14. Waldorf, $409,450

The median closed price in Waldorf is $409,450 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. Resideline tracked 510 closings there, roughly 85 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $214 per square foot across 339 sales with usable living area. Homes that sold twice appreciated at a median of 3.89 percent a year between those sales, on 2,339 repeat-sale pairs across the postal area that shares the city's name; that is what happened, not what will. Listed homes went under contract in a median of 24 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. About 8.8 percent of listings that sold were marketed as-is or distressed, which is high and part of why the entry price is low. Full detail is on the Waldorf market page.

Note: realized appreciation is the one column measured on the postal city, from repeat sales of the same home across the ZIP codes that share the city's name; every other figure is confined to the municipal boundary.

How to read this list

A low median is where the analysis starts, not where it ends. Property type, size, condition and block move a number far more than the city line does, so check any address on this list against its own comparable closings.

Figures last updated September 5, 2026 from closings Resideline tracked. Appreciation is the median annual change between consecutive sales of the same home; it is historical, nominal and not a projection.