?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Potomac, MD vs Rockville, 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 Potomac needs about $89,500 in Rockville to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Rockville, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Potomac.

A few differences

Potomac vs Rockville · facet by facet
FacetPotomac, MDRockville, MD
Median home price$1,157,000$682,300
2-bedroom rent$2,074/mo$2,454/mo
Property tax rate1.05%1.05%
State & local income tax7.6%7.6%
Sales tax6%6%
Cost of living index157136
Groceries index105105
Utilities$190/mo$190/mo
Median household income$236,675$128,649
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: Potomac, MD · Rockville, MD
Questions & answers
Is Potomac cheaper than Rockville?
Rockville has the lower day-to-day cost index (136 vs 157 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Rockville equals $85,000 in Potomac?
A household earning $85,000 in Potomac needs about $89,500 in Rockville to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Rockville lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Potomac.