Known for its beautiful bays, delicious seafood, and vibrant culture,
Baltimore is an awesome city to live in. Of course, with this big city lifestyle comes big city prices. However, there are plenty of options near Baltimore that will give you the best of both the big city life and the small town prices.
Here are the 10 most affordable Baltimore suburbs.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $55,833
- Median home value: $171,700
This community might still be unincorporated, but that doesn’t mean that living here isn’t a great deal. Not only is it right down the road from Baltimore, it’s also home to tons of water recreation, several parks, and a good school system. Middle River is one place that makes it easy to get outside and get moving.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $48,860
- Median home value: $155,500
Dundalk is one of the inner-ring suburbs of Baltimore, which makes it great for commuting. Its population of around 60,000 means that this affordable suburb will have all the amenities someone might need. Three major MTA lines serve the area, giving you the best of big city life while keeping you a little farther away from the hustle and bustle.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $237,600t
- Median household income: $78,438
A huge contrast from the larger suburb of Dundalk, Hampstead has a more small town feel with only 6,000 residents. One thing that really makes Hampstead stand out on this list is the small percentage of of income spent on rent: 29.4 percent.
It’s also got some really nice homes in the area and the highest median income on this list, giving it more of an upscale feel.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 26.2 percent
- Median home value: $233,500
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Arbutus is another suburb with very affordable rent. Residents spend only 26.2 percent of their monthly income on their housing. That’s even lower than Hampstead, especially when you take into account the slightly lower median income in Arbutus.
It’s also home to the beautiful Herbert Run stream and it’s right down the road from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). With a great local community and a great outlook towards the future, Arbutus should definitely be on your list of suburbs to check out.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 23.9 percent
- Median home value: $165,500
The county seat of Harford County, Bel Air has a quaint, small town feel despite its relatively close proximity to Baltimore. Not only is it home to the Ma and Pa walking trail, this area also has over 20 schools, making it a great place for families.
If you’re looking to move the family to Baltimore on a budget, Bel Air might be the place you’ve been looking for.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 29.7 percent
- Median household income: $51,714
Known for being as close to the Chesapeake Bay as you can get, Essex gives you great access to a wet and wild time come the warmer summer months. It’s also a great place for commuting into Baltimore on a daily basis.
The median income here is relatively low compared to other options on our list, hovering around $50,000, but it should be noted that this is also reflected in lower housing costs. Essex is also in the middle of a revitalization process, meaning this is one part of the Baltimore area that’s on the rise.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $60,013
- Median home value: $210,500
With median home prices easily passing the $200,000 mark, Greenbelt is one of the more upscale affordable suburbs on our list. It’s connected to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. by train, which makes this a great town for commuters interested in saving a little cash while they build their careers.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $240,800
- Median household income: $76,398
Randallstown has a vibrant culture and there’s always something going on. While Randallstown isn’t connected to Baltimore by train, there are several stops for the line going towards the city within a short driving distance and it also has bus access.
What really makes this city stand out on our list is the high median income, topping out at over $75,000. As might be predicted, homes are on the expensive side, but if living here is in your price range, it’s actually a pretty good deal.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $184,800
- Income spent on rent: 35.2 percent
Once the home of famous musician Frank Zappa, Edgewood is only a half-hour drive from Baltimore, giving it the suburb feel while still providing its residents with easy access to Charm City.
Compared to other suburbs on this list, the cost of living is relatively low, only slightly more than the national average. If you want a taste of Baltimore, but not the whole dish, Edgewood might just be for you.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $209,700
- Median household income: $55,962
Established as a small farming community, Rosedale has since grown to close to 20,000 residents. The residential housing is a little older here, mostly built during 50s to 70s.
Our Methodology
To create this list of affordable Baltimore suburbs, we took a look at the following criteria:
- Cost of living
- Median home value
- Percentage of income spent on rent
- Affordability ratio (median home value divided by median household income)
We then averaged those scores into one overall score and the places with the 10 lowest scores made up our list of the 10 most affordable Baltimore suburbs.
For this list, we sourced data from
AreaVibes and the 2013 U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Want to see how all 33 Baltimore suburbs stacked up? Take a look at the table below:
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