?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Bowie, MD vs Wheaton, MD

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Bowie needs about $77,000 in Wheaton to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Wheaton, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $93,000 in Bowie.

A few differences

Bowie vs Wheaton · facet by facet
FacetBowie, MDWheaton, MD
Median home price$459,300$501,200
2-bedroom rent$2,271/mo$2,133/mo
Property tax rate1.05%1.05%
State & local income tax7.6%7.4%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index121121
Groceries index105105
Utilities$190/mo$190/mo
Median household income$141,995$111,478
Unemployment rate2.8%2.8%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating6.2/106.2/10
Sunny days / year213 days213 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Bowie, MD · Wheaton, MD
Questions & answers
Is Bowie cheaper than Wheaton?
Bowie and Wheaton display the same day-to-day cost index; the differences show up facet by facet in the table above.
What household income in Wheaton equals $85,000 in Bowie?
A household earning $85,000 in Bowie needs about $77,000 in Wheaton to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Wheaton lifestyle costs about $93,000 in Bowie.