Photo: SlipperyDude · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Kettering costs more to live in than 71% of U.S. towns
It ranks #139 of 260 in Maryland for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area ($127K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Kettering’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($127K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 31% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 29% of renters.
In dollars
- $2,450a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 109prices across the Washington metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 151)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.3 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$127K, Washington-area income
- 22%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 29%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maryland: 52%Census 2020–24
- 31%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Kettering
What’s behind Kettering’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kettering is more affordable than 29% of U.S. towns, #139 of 260 in Maryland. Rent pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Home prices up 38% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Kettering rose 38% over the past 5 years, about the same as across Maryland. Last year prices rose 2.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Kettering home at roughly $480,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $480K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Kettering, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 16 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A year’s rent takes 22% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Kettering’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Kettering home, with $2K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,450 a month here, $500 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Kettering’s typical property tax (1.09% 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 $2,450
Renters already here pay a median of $2,297.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-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.
Property tax runs above the Maryland norm
The median bill is $4,541 (Maryland: $4,093), 1.09% 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 Kettering
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 | 109 | MD 105 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 105 | MD 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 107 | MD 111 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 102 | 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.
Kettering vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Kettering. Brock Hall and Woodmore and Mitchellville and Largo have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettering | C | — | $419K | 1.09% | $2,450 |
| Brock Hall | C− | — | $638K | 1.06% | $2,410 |
| Largo | C | — | $388K | 1.08% | $2,440 |
| Woodmore | D | — | $605K | 1.11% | $2,870 |
| Lake Arbor | C− | $412K | $461K | 1.15% | $2,730 |
| Bowie | C | $515K | $459K | 1.23% | $2,700 |
| Mitchellville | D | — | $512K | 1.03% | $2,920 |
“—” 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 Kettering
Is Kettering expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Kettering costs more than 71% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #139 of 260 in Maryland. The typical home costs 3.3 years of the median household income of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area ($127K).
How much is rent in Kettering?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,450 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,297 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Kettering?
The median bill is $4,541 a year, 1.09% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Kettering buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.