City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Bowie | Columbia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,167/mo | $1,895/mo | 14.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $419,200 | $458,700 | 8.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $138,797 | $124,537 | 11.5% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 103.0 | 101.3 | 1.7% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 103.1 | 105.6 | 2.3% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 101.8 | 101.2 | 0.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.1 | 99.5 | 0.6% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Bowie, you'd need $89,834 in Columbia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbia, MD is about 10.2% cheaper overall than Bowie, MD, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 19% lower in Columbia than in Bowie. If you earn $80,000 in Bowie, you'd need about $71,867 in Columbia to keep the same standard of living.