Maryland rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Maryland (June 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 399 rentals across 72 Maryland cities
Maryland is really two rental markets: the expensive DC suburbs in Montgomery County (Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring), and everywhere else, which runs far cheaper. The deep value is in western Maryland (Hagerstown, Cumberland), the eastern shore (Salisbury) and Baltimore, which is surprisingly affordable for a major East Coast city. We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Dundalk (about $1,084/mo), while Ellicott City sits at the top ($2,220/mo). For most renters the big decision is DC-suburb vs Baltimore vs the rest of the state; the bedroom count you need matters from there.
Maryland cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | $1,084 | $910 | 5 |
| 2 | Parkville | $1,170 | $1,034 | 5 |
| 3 | Essex | $1,196 | $958 | 8 |
| 4 | Hagerstown | $1,348 | $1,134 | 6 |
| 5 | Baltimore | $1,368 | $990 | 26 |
| 6 | Laurel | $1,377 | $1,000 | 23 |
| 7 | Randallstown | $1,395 | $900 | 8 |
| 8 | Glen Burnie | $1,454 | $1,185 | 14 |
| 9 | College Park | $1,500 | $1,135 | 5 |
| 10 | Wheaton | $1,500 | $1,425 | 5 |
| 11 | Hyattsville | $1,502 | $1,191 | 21 |
| 12 | Towson | $1,505 | $1,260 | 12 |
| 13 | Silver Spring | $1,544 | $1,062 | 39 |
| 14 | Greenbelt | $1,649 | $1,389 | 8 |
| 15 | Owings Mills | $1,696 | $1,020 | 10 |
| 16 | Gaithersburg | $1,700 | $1,126 | 16 |
| 17 | Germantown | $1,729 | $1,499 | 9 |
| 18 | Waldorf | $1,773 | $1,425 | 15 |
| 19 | Frederick | $1,822 | $1,133 | 16 |
| 20 | Columbia | $1,827 | $1,550 | 14 |
| 21 | Rockville | $1,891 | $1,349 | 22 |
| 22 | Odenton | $1,957 | $1,221 | 6 |
| 23 | Annapolis | $1,962 | $1,498 | 12 |
| 24 | Pikesville | $2,025 | $1,445 | 7 |
| 25 | Bethesda | $2,190 | $1,250 | 16 |
| 26 | Ellicott City | $2,220 | $1,755 | 6 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a handful of listings, so the bigger markets like Baltimore, Silver Spring and Frederick are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in Maryland?
By typical (median) rent it's Dundalk, around $1,084/mo, then Parkville and Essex. The best value is in western Maryland (Hagerstown, Cumberland, Frederick), the eastern shore (Salisbury), and Baltimore, all well away from the DC suburbs. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Is Baltimore cheaper than the DC suburbs?
By a lot. Baltimore runs about $1,368/mo typical, which is genuinely affordable for a major East Coast city, while the Montgomery County DC suburbs like Bethesda run about $2,190 and up. If you don't need to be in the DC orbit, Baltimore and western Maryland save you hundreds a month.
Where is rent most expensive in Maryland?
Ellicott City tops the list at about $2,220/mo, which tracks: the priciest rents are the close-in DC suburbs in Montgomery County (Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg) plus Annapolis. Baltimore, western Maryland and the eastern shore are far cheaper.
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