Measured against area pay, Dunkirk costs less to live in than 56% of U.S. towns
About the same as a year ago, 48% above the Maryland typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lexington Park, MD metro area ($126K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Lexington Park metro earn ($126K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.4 years of metro income, and 0% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $628Ktypical home, 48% above the Maryland typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,530a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 101prices across the Lexington Park metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 104)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$126K, Lexington Park-area income
- 12%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Dunkirk
What’s behind Dunkirk’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Dunkirk is more affordable than 56% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Maryland: up 11.9% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 11.9% in five years
About the same pace as Maryland (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Dunkirk | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $440,000 | $288,000 |
| 2018 | $447,000 | $299,000 |
| 2019 | $458,000 | $308,000 |
| 2020 | $474,000 | $320,000 |
| 2021 | $518,000 | $347,000 |
| 2022 | $568,000 | $381,000 |
| 2023 | $582,000 | $395,000 |
| 2024 | $600,000 | $409,000 |
| 2025 | $621,000 | $424,000 |
| 2026 | $626,000 | $426,000 |
| September 2026 | $628,000 | $425,000 |
A typical Dunkirk home worth $432K in October 2016 is worth about $628K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Dunkirk’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $132K short of a typical Dunkirk home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,530 a month here, $1,190 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Dunkirk’s typical property tax (0.82% 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 $2,530
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $4,628 (Maryland: $4,093), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.82% 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 Dunkirk
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Lexington Park, 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 | 101 | MD 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 100 | MD 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 106 | MD 111 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 100 | 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.
Dunkirk vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Dunkirk has the lowest. Croom and Baden have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
Questions about the cost of living in Dunkirk
Is Dunkirk expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Dunkirk costs less than 56% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.4 years of the median household income of the Lexington Park, MD metro area ($126K).
How much does a house cost in Dunkirk?
About $628K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.3% in a year. The Maryland typical home is $425K.
What salary do you need to live in Dunkirk?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $160,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,720 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $101,000.
How much is rent in Dunkirk?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,530 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in.
What are property taxes in Dunkirk?
The median bill is $4,628 a year, 0.82% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Dunkirk going up?
Barely: up 0.3% in the past year and 11.9% in five years, against 13.3% across Maryland (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Dunkirk 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, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.