Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Crisfield costs less to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
It ranks #8 of 260 in Maryland for affordability. Up 1.3% in a year, 61% below the Maryland typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Salisbury, MD metro area ($74K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, Crisfield is one of the least expensive places in Maryland. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Salisbury-area incomes are lower too ($74K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.40% of a home’s value a year (Maryland: 0.97%), and 40% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $168Ktypical home, 61% below the Maryland typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,130a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Salisbury metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 87)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$74K, Salisbury-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 40%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maryland: 52%Census 2020–24
- 37%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Crisfield’s housing numbers say
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,931, under the Maryland median of $4,093, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.40% a year, against 0.97% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $200 a month. Property taxes ↓
Rent is easier on renters here
40% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 52% across Maryland. A standard two-bedroom is 27% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Crisfield home runs about $1,070 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,130. Can I afford it? ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Crisfield lost 251 residents while 31 new homes were permitted. With 18% of homes used seasonally, part of the new building serves people who don’t live here year-round. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Crisfield’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Crisfield is more affordable than 73% of U.S. towns, #8 of 260 in Maryland. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Values have outpaced Maryland: the typical Crisfield home is up 24.2% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 24.2% in five years
Faster than Maryland (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Crisfield | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $86,000 | $288,000 |
| 2018 | $88,000 | $299,000 |
| 2019 | $93,000 | $308,000 |
| 2020 | $101,000 | $320,000 |
| 2021 | $117,000 | $347,000 |
| 2022 | $139,000 | $381,000 |
| 2023 | $145,000 | $395,000 |
| 2024 | $163,000 | $409,000 |
| 2025 | $164,000 | $424,000 |
| 2026 | $167,000 | $426,000 |
| September 2026 | $168,000 | $425,000 |
A typical Crisfield home worth $84K in October 2016 is worth about $168K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Crisfield’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Crisfield home, with $102K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,130 a month here, $60 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Crisfield’s typical property tax (1.40% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,130
Renters already here pay a median of $766, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Somerset County, MD HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Crisfield in 2025, all single-family houses. That's 1.2 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Maryland (2.4). Over the past 10 years, Crisfield has permitted 29 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Crisfield's population fell by 251 even though 31 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 18% of Crisfield's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across Maryland: 2.5 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $443,000 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $880,000 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $750,000 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $895,000 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $660,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $194,000 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $726,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $355,000 |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $799,000 |
| 2013 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $521,000 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $267,000 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $480,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $722,000 |
| 2007 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $202,000 |
| 2006 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2005 | 22 | 12 | 10 | $2.5 million |
| 2004 | 21 | 11 | 10 | $2.4 million |
| 2003 | 27 | 11 | 16 | $3.4 million |
| 2002 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $746,000 |
| 2001 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $387,000 |
| 2000 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $698,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,931, under the Maryland median of $4,093, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.40% a year, against 0.97% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Crisfield
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Salisbury, MD metro area, or Maryland. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 96 | MD 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | MD 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 103 | MD 111 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | MD 102 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 21.4¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Crisfield and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crisfield | B+ | $168K | $138K | 1.40% | $1,130 |
Questions about the cost of living in Crisfield
Is Crisfield expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Crisfield costs less than 73% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #8 of 260 in Maryland. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Salisbury, MD metro area ($74K).
How much does a house cost in Crisfield?
About $168K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 1.3% in a year. The Maryland typical home is $425K.
What salary do you need to live in Crisfield?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $46,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,070 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $45,000.
How much is rent in Crisfield?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,130 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $766 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Crisfield?
The median bill is $1,931 a year, 1.40% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Crisfield going up?
Yes: up 1.3% in the past year and 24.2% in five years, against 13.3% across Maryland (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Crisfield buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.