Cost Of Living in South Kensington, MD

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F

91%

Overall NAT. AVG.

9%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

284%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2025 and was released from C2ER in January, 2026; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	South Kensington	Maryland	National
Cost of living	191	120	100
Goods & Services	109	108	100
Groceries	109	106	100
Health care	119	106	100
Housing	384	151	100
Transportation	100	100	100
Utilities	110	114	100

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Homes For Sale In South Kensington, MD

4411 Glenridge St

Kensington, MD

3737 Glenmoor Reserve Ln

Chevy Chase, MD

9814 Gartrell Pl

Kensington, MD

3612 Littledale Rd

Kensington, MD

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in South Kensington is 59% higher than the Maryland average
The cost of living in South Kensington is 91% higher than the national average
South Kensington housing is 284% higher than the national average
Maryland general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Maryland state income tax is 23% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$279,606	$23,301	$6,524	$8,389
Renters	$0	$0	$0	$0

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in South Kensington, MD, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In South Kensington, the median monthly income is $279,606 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $6,524 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $0, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $0 on monthly rental expenses.

Maryland Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Maryland	6%	6%

Maryland Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Maryland	2%	5.75%

Goods & Services

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$41.13	$27.62	48.9%
Beauty Salon	$71.72	$51.11	40.3%
Toothpaste	$4.14	$4.09	1.2%
Shampoo	$1.98	$1.54	28.4%
Movie	$19.37	$12.88	50.4%
Yoga	$30.78	$19.66	56.6%

Groceries

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$8.19	$7.70	6.3%
Fried Chicken	$1.60	$1.66	3.7%
Milk	$4.85	$4.73	2.5%
Potatoes	$5.49	$5.26	4.4%
Pizza	$12.43	$12.76	2.6%
Beer	$11.02	$10.55	4.5%

Health Care

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$222.59	$140.06	58.9%
Doctor	$192.17	$153.82	24.9%
Dentist	$150.29	$123.15	22.0%
Ibuprofen	$12.57	$11.73	7.1%
Lipitor	$22.16	$23.61	6.1%

Housing

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$1,402,672.00	$326,622.00	329.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$5,047.56	$2,480.25	103.5%
Apartment Rent	$4,024.00	$1,444.00	178.7%

Transportation

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.10	$3.06	1.3%
Tire Balancing	$64.30	$65.21	1.4%

Utilities

Item	South Kensington	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$251.50	$220.12	14.3%
Phone	$201.91	$195.71	3.2%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Wakefield town, VA	838	95	5.2%
Cottage City, MD	1,193	108	7.5%
Silver Hill, MD	5,346	113	13.3%
Seat Pleasant, MD	4,929	114	13.8%
Capitol Heights, MD	4,609	116	16.0%
South Kensington, MD	8,679	191	91.3%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Arab, AL	8,679	92	7.7%
Carbondale, PA	8,679	88	11.5%
Tuskegee, AL	8,678	87	13.1%
Renfrew, ON	8,678	n/a
Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, QC	8,680	n/a
South Kensington, MD	8,679	191	91.3%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2025 and was released from C2ER in January, 2026; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in South Kensington, MD

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

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Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Maryland Sales Tax

Maryland Income Tax

Goods & Services

Groceries

Health Care

Housing

Transportation

Utilities

Nearby cities with low cost of living

Cities with similar population