Photo: Drew Jacksich from San Jose, CA, The Republic of California · CC BY-SA 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Jessup costs more to live in than 90% of U.S. towns
It ranks #246 of 260 in Maryland for affordability. About the same as a year ago, 20% above the Maryland typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area ($99K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Jessup’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($99K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 24% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 43% of renters.
In dollars
- $509Ktypical home, 20% above the Maryland typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,370a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 104prices across the Baltimore metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 118)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$99K, Baltimore-area income
- 26%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 43%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maryland: 52%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Jessup
Mostly newer homes
Half of Jessup’s homes were built after 2003, against 1979 for Maryland as a whole. Property taxes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Jessup’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $496K falls short here but covers the typical home in Maryland City ($425K) and Elkridge ($478K). Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Jessup’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jessup is more affordable than 10% of U.S. towns, #246 of 260 in Maryland. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Maryland: up 15.0% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 15% in five years
About the same pace as Maryland (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Jessup | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $363,000 | $288,000 |
| 2018 | $376,000 | $299,000 |
| 2019 | $375,000 | $308,000 |
| 2020 | $383,000 | $320,000 |
| 2021 | $408,000 | $347,000 |
| 2022 | $452,000 | $381,000 |
| 2023 | $475,000 | $395,000 |
| 2024 | $492,000 | $409,000 |
| 2025 | $511,000 | $424,000 |
| 2026 | $509,000 | $426,000 |
| September 2026 | $509,000 | $425,000 |
A typical Jessup home worth $357K in October 2016 is worth about $509K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 26% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Jessup’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $128K short of a typical Jessup home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,370 a month here, $710 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Jessup’s typical property tax (0.99% 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 $2,370
Renters already here pay a median of $2,187.
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.
Property tax runs above the Maryland norm
The median bill is $4,565 (Maryland: $4,093), 0.99% of a home’s value 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 Jessup
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, 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 | 104 | MD 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 102 | MD 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 110 | MD 111 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 101 | 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.
Jessup vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Jessup has the 3rd-lowest. Maryland City has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessup | D | $509K | $462K | 0.99% | $2,370 |
| Elkridge | D | $478K | $454K | 1.16% | $2,440 |
| Maryland City | D | — | $425K | 0.82% | $2,610 |
| Savage | C− | $580K | $424K | 1.28% | $2,300 |
| Columbia | D | $503K | $497K | 1.22% | $2,380 |
| Severn | D | $512K | $479K | 0.85% | $2,360 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Jessup
Is Jessup expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Jessup costs more than 90% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #246 of 260 in Maryland. The typical home costs 4.6 years of the median household income of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area ($99K).
How much does a house cost in Jessup?
About $509K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.0% in a year. The Maryland typical home is $425K.
What salary do you need to live in Jessup?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $132,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,080 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $95,000.
How much is rent in Jessup?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,370 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,187 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Jessup?
The median bill is $4,565 a year, 0.99% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Jessup going up?
Barely: up 0.0% in the past year and 15.0% in five years, against 13.3% across Maryland (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Jessup 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.