?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Ellicott City, MD vs Silver Spring, 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 Ellicott City needs about $87,000 in Silver Spring to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Silver Spring, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $83,000 in Ellicott City.

A few differences

Ellicott City vs Silver Spring · facet by facet
FacetEllicott City, MDSilver Spring, MD
Median home price$661,700$643,300
2-bedroom rent$2,101/mo$2,000/mo
Property tax rate1.05%1.05%
State & local income tax7.6%7.6%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index130127
Groceries index105105
Utilities$190/mo$190/mo
Median household income$156,964$99,860
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: Ellicott City, MD · Silver Spring, MD
Questions & answers
Is Ellicott City cheaper than Silver Spring?
Silver Spring has the lower day-to-day cost index (127 vs 130 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Silver Spring equals $85,000 in Ellicott City?
A household earning $85,000 in Ellicott City needs about $87,000 in Silver Spring to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Silver Spring lifestyle costs about $83,000 in Ellicott City.