An Overview of Cost of Living in Dundalk, MD
The cost of living in Dundalk affects the quality of life one can afford in this new location. It allows people to assess whether they can maintain their preferred lifestyle, including housing, leisure activities and dining options. Your total monthly expenditures can varry depending on the area, as well as many other factors. The cost of living in Dundalk is 102, which is 2% higher than the national average. Knowledge of the cost of living can help individuals make informed decisions about retirement savings, investments, and financial goals.
Everyday expenditures like food, housing, goods and services, transportation and health care in Dundalk are priced in a manner consistent with other areas. This means that residents of Dundalk can anticipate their daily expenses remaining reasonably similar to those in an average city, thereby supporting a manageable cost of living.
Is Dundalk Affordable?
Is Dundalk an affordable place to live? That's a valid question to ask when you're thinking about moving to a new city. After all, how much it costs to live somewhere can be a huge factor in your decision. Affordability can be broken down into 3 common categories. The cost of living index (we talked about it earlier), housing expenses and income levels all play a big role in figuring out if a place is affordable. For instance, in Dundalk, the median home price is 15.4% lower than what most folks pay across the country, and monthly rent prices are 24.1% higher than the usual rates. Income levels in Dundalk come in at $55,489, which is 0.3% higher than the national average.
What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Dundalk?
Groceries: Grocery costs have continued to increase significantly over the last 2-3 years. In some markets the cost of food has gone up by more than 20% in that period. While other markets have managed to see only a moderate uptick. These food costs can have a major impact on the cost of living in any area. In Dundalk, the groceries index is 4.5% higher than the national average.
Housing: High demand for housing in desirable locations can drive up property prices and rental rates. This can be a primary contributor to a higher cost of living. While low demand for housing, especially in undesirable locations, can have the reverse effect and drive prices down, resulting in a lower cost of living. The housing index in Dundalk, is 3.5% lower than the national average.
Taxes: Cities that impose higher taxes, including sales and income taxes, can contribute to an escalated cost of living. The added expense of taxes on everyday goods like clothing and food naturally results in higher overall costs. Similarly, a higher income tax rate can further elevate the cost of living. In Dundalk, the general sales tax rate starts at 6%, and income tax rates begin at 2%.
Where is the Data From?
The Dundalk cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. The index takes into account data from 300 independent researches, covering more than 60 goods and services across 6 different categories, to create an overall index for each area, with 100 being the average. The C2ER index does not include sales or income tax rates in their data, however AreaVibes does include both income and sales tax rates in the overall cost of living score for each area.
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