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 | Columbia | Germantown | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,895/mo | $1,908/mo | 0.7% lower in A |
| Median home value | $458,700 | $393,700 | 16.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $124,537 | $109,268 | 14.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 98.7 | 98.7 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 94.8 | 94.8 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 100.5 | 100.5 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 94.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Columbia, you'd need $100,683 in Germantown to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Columbia, MD is about 0.7% cheaper overall than Germantown, MD, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Columbia, you'd need about $80,546 in Germantown to keep the same standard of living.