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

Baltimore, with a median closed price of $203,000 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	$203,000	$151	3.86%/yr	23	4,841	six months
2	Cambridge	$249,995	$144	4.42%/yr	72	280	12 months
3	Salisbury	$255,000	$165	4.70%/yr	33	226	six months
4	Hagerstown	$260,000	$160	4.28%/yr	21	359	six months
5	Parkville	$285,000	$185	3.81%/yr	15	319	12 months
6	Bel Air	$292,500	$231	3.98%/yr	10	228	12 months
7	Aberdeen	$300,000	$200	3.93%/yr	16	213	12 months
8	Elkton	$305,000	$180	4.83%/yr	12	201	12 months
9	Owings Mills	$343,462	$219	3.83%/yr	19	286	12 months
10	Reisterstown	$345,000	$218	3.98%/yr	13	231	12 months
11	Westminster	$352,500	$211	4.37%/yr	10	215	12 months
12	Glen Burnie	$360,000	$243	4.10%/yr	16	348	six months
13	Laurel	$400,000	$298	3.94%/yr	21	169	six months
14	Waldorf	$409,900	$210	3.89%/yr	23	483	six months
15	Germantown	$414,500	$265	4.26%/yr	17	472	six months

1. Baltimore, $203,000

The median closed price in Baltimore is $203,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 48 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 4,841 closings there, roughly 807 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $151, measured on 1,194 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 23 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, $249,995

Homes in Cambridge closed at a median of $249,995 over the last 12 months, about 60 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 280 closings sit behind that figure, about 23 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $144 per square foot across 180 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 72 days to go under contract, across 124 listed closings. Full detail is on the Cambridge market page.

3. Salisbury, $255,000

The median closed price in Salisbury is $255,000 across the last six months, which puts it at roughly 61 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 226 closings there, roughly 38 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $165 per square foot across 151 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 33 days to go under contract, across 118 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 62 percent of what the typical Maryland sale closed at. 359 closings sit behind that figure, about 60 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $160, measured on 217 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 21 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, $285,000

Parkville's median closed price over the last 12 months was $285,000, around 68 percent of what the typical Maryland sale closed at. 319 closings sit behind that figure, about 27 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $185 per square foot across 223 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, $292,500

Homes in Bel Air closed at a median of $292,500 over the last 12 months, about 70 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 228 closings sit behind that figure, about 19 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $231, measured on 76 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 10 days, which is fast for the state and leaves little time to deliberate. Full detail is on the Bel Air market page.

7. Aberdeen, $300,000

Homes in Aberdeen closed at a median of $300,000 over the last 12 months, about 71 percent of the Maryland statewide median. 213 closings sit behind that figure, about 18 a month, enough to price against. Single-family houses closed at a median of $200 per square foot across 176 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. 201 closings sit behind that figure, about 17 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $180, measured on 132 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. Owings Mills, $343,462

The median closed price in Owings Mills is $343,462 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 82 percent of the state figure. Resideline tracked 286 closings there, roughly 24 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $219 per square foot across 66 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 19 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Owings Mills market page.

10. Reisterstown, $345,000

The median closed price in Reisterstown is $345,000 across the last 12 months, which puts it at roughly 82 percent of the state figure. 231 closings sit behind that figure, about 19 a month, enough to price against. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $218, measured on 121 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.

11. Westminster, $352,500

Homes in Westminster closed at a median of $352,500 over the last 12 months, about 84 percent of the Maryland statewide median. Resideline tracked 215 closings there, roughly 18 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $211 per square foot across 129 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.

12. Glen Burnie, $360,000

Homes in Glen Burnie closed at a median of $360,000 over the last six months, about 86 percent of the Maryland statewide median. Resideline tracked 348 closings there, roughly 58 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $243 per square foot across 256 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 16 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, $400,000

The median closed price in Laurel is $400,000 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. Resideline tracked 169 closings there, roughly 28 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $298 per square foot across 43 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 21 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Laurel market page.

14. Waldorf, $409,900

The median closed price in Waldorf is $409,900 across the last six months, roughly in line with the state as a whole. Resideline tracked 483 closings there, roughly 80 a month. Single-family houses closed at a median of $210 per square foot across 328 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 23 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.

15. Germantown, $414,500

Homes in Germantown closed at a median of $414,500 over the last six months, close to the statewide median. Resideline tracked 472 closings there, roughly 79 a month. On a per-square-foot basis, houses there closed at a median of $265, measured on 115 sales. Between consecutive sales of the same home, prices moved a median 4.26 percent a year (2,278 pairs, postal-area scope), a historical figure rather than a projection. The median listed home was under contract in 17 days, so a buyer here needs financing lined up before the search, not after. Full detail is on the Germantown 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 October 3, 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.