Photo: Matthew Binebrink · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Cumberland costs less to live in than 74% of U.S. towns
It ranks #7 of 260 in Maryland for affordability. Up 3.2% in a year, 63% below the Maryland typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Cumberland, MD-WV micro area ($62K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, Cumberland is one of the least expensive places in Maryland. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Cumberland-area incomes are lower too ($62K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.38% of a home’s value a year (Maryland: 0.97%), and 52% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $157Ktypical home, 63% below the Maryland typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,010a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$62K, Cumberland-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 52%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maryland: 52%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Cumberland’s housing numbers say
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,696, under the Maryland median of $4,093, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.38% a year, against 0.97% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $180 a month. Property taxes ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Cumberland’s homes were built before 1943, against 1979 for Maryland as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Very little new building
Cumberland permitted 39 new homes over the past 10 years, about 0.2 a year per 1,000 residents. Across Maryland, the pace in 2025 was 2.4. In 2025, Cumberland permitted 7. New homes ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cumberland lost 1,783 residents while 127 new homes were permitted. New homes ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Cumberland home runs about $1,010 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,010. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Cumberland’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cumberland is more affordable than 74% of U.S. towns, #7 of 260 in Maryland. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Maryland: the typical Cumberland home is up 25.2% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 25.2% in five years
Faster than Maryland (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Cumberland | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $97,000 | $288,000 |
| 2018 | $95,000 | $299,000 |
| 2019 | $101,000 | $308,000 |
| 2020 | $107,000 | $320,000 |
| 2021 | $117,000 | $347,000 |
| 2022 | $131,000 | $381,000 |
| 2023 | $136,000 | $395,000 |
| 2024 | $138,000 | $409,000 |
| 2025 | $146,000 | $424,000 |
| 2026 | $152,000 | $426,000 |
| September 2026 | $157,000 | $425,000 |
A typical Cumberland home worth $95K in October 2016 is worth about $157K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 4.1 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 2.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Cumberland’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Cumberland home, with $69K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,010 a month here, $0 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Cumberland’s typical property tax (1.38% 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 $1,010
Renters already here pay a median of $741, 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 (Allegany County, MD): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
7 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 7 new homes in Cumberland in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.7 million to build. That's 0.4 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Maryland (2.4). Over the past 10 years, Cumberland has permitted 39 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Cumberland's population fell by 1,783 even though 127 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 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) | 4 | 2 | 2 | $714,000 |
| 2025 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2024 | 19 | 2 | 17 | $3 million |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $675,000 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $685,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $165,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $751,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $455,000 |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $828,000 |
| 2012 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $935,000 |
| 2011 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2010 | 82 | 18 | 64 | $9.8 million |
| 2009 | 13 | 5 | 8 | $2.1 million |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $823,000 |
| 2007 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $4.3 million |
| 2006 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2005 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2004 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2003 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2002 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2000 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $917,000 |
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 $1,696, under the Maryland median of $4,093, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.38% 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 Cumberland
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: Maryland, or Maryland. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Cumberland vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Cumberland has the lowest. Bowmans Addition and Bowling Green have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | B+ | $157K | $123K | 1.38% | $1,010 |
| Bowmans Addition | C+ | — | $187K | 0.83% | $1,010 |
| Bowling Green | – | — | $132K | 1.29% | $1,010 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Cumberland
Is Cumberland expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Cumberland costs less than 74% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living, #7 of 260 in Maryland. The typical home costs 2.0 years of the median household income of the Cumberland, MD-WV micro area ($62K).
How much does a house cost in Cumberland?
About $157K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.1% in a year. The Maryland typical home is $425K.
What salary do you need to live in Cumberland?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $43,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,010 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $40,000.
How much is rent in Cumberland?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,010 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $741 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Cumberland?
The median bill is $1,696 a year, 1.38% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Cumberland going up?
Yes: up 3.1% in the past year and 25.2% in five years, against 13.3% across Maryland (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Cumberland 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, May 2026. 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.