Captain Robert S. Craig Cottage · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Ocean City costs more to live in than 89% of U.S. towns
It ranks #242 of 260 in Maryland for affordability. About the same as a year ago, close to the Maryland typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Ocean Pines, MD micro area ($82K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Ocean City’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($82K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 29% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 62% of renters.
In dollars
- $445Ktypical home, 5% above the Maryland typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,210a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$82K, Ocean Pines-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 62%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Maryland: 52%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Ocean City
Most of Ocean City’s homes are second homes
83% of Ocean City’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Property taxes ↓
Building at 4 times the Maryland pace
Builders were permitted 61 new homes in 2025: 8.8 per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 across Maryland. That’s 610 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
About two in three renters are stretched
62% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 52% across Maryland. That’s despite a standard two-bedroom costing just 19% of the median household income, so renters here earn far less than the typical household. Renting ↓
Fewer people, more homes
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Ocean City lost 258 residents while 372 new homes were permitted. With 83% 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 Ocean City’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Ocean City is more affordable than 11% of U.S. towns, #242 of 260 in Maryland. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Maryland: up 16.6% in five years, against 13.3% statewide (Zillow).
Up 16.6% in five years
Faster than Maryland (13.3%).
Show as a table
| January | Ocean City | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $257,000 | $288,000 |
| 2018 | $267,000 | $299,000 |
| 2019 | $279,000 | $308,000 |
| 2020 | $288,000 | $320,000 |
| 2021 | $316,000 | $347,000 |
| 2022 | $402,000 | $381,000 |
| 2023 | $434,000 | $395,000 |
| 2024 | $458,000 | $409,000 |
| 2025 | $456,000 | $424,000 |
| 2026 | $441,000 | $426,000 |
| September 2026 | $445,000 | $425,000 |
A typical Ocean City home worth $254K in October 2016 is worth about $445K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 5.2 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Ocean City’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $127K short of a typical Ocean City home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,210 a month here, $1,470 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Ocean City’s typical property tax (0.93% 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 $1,210
Renters already here pay a median of $1,353.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Worcester County, MD): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
61 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 61 new homes in Ocean City in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $24.3 million to build. That's 8.8 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Maryland (2.4). Over the past 10 years, Ocean City has permitted 610 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Ocean City's population fell by 258 even though 372 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 83% of Ocean City'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) | 50 | 41 | 9 | $12.8 million |
| 2025 | 61 | 61 | 0 | $24.3 million |
| 2024 | 39 | 35 | 4 | $16 million |
| 2023 | 133 | 44 | 89 | $33.5 million |
| 2022 | 64 | 58 | 6 | $15 million |
| 2021 | 86 | 56 | 30 | $25.1 million |
| 2020 | 60 | 46 | 14 | $16.5 million |
| 2019 | 61 | 45 | 16 | $13.5 million |
| 2018 | 40 | 25 | 15 | $8.3 million |
| 2017 | 27 | 22 | 5 | $8.3 million |
| 2016 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $11 million |
| 2015 | 41 | 30 | 11 | $8.6 million |
| 2014 | 62 | 23 | 39 | $11.7 million |
| 2013 | 42 | 37 | 5 | $9.2 million |
| 2012 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $4.6 million |
| 2011 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| 2010 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2009 | 34 | 31 | 3 | $6.4 million |
| 2008 | 83 | 36 | 47 | $16.7 million |
| 2007 | 123 | 83 | 40 | $24 million |
| 2006 | 559 | 83 | 476 | $171.2 million |
| 2005 | 527 | 118 | 409 | $41.9 million |
| 2004 | 534 | 102 | 432 | $41.7 million |
| 2003 | 424 | 148 | 276 | $35.5 million |
| 2002 | 317 | 58 | 259 | $29 million |
| 2001 | 265 | 62 | 203 | $19.1 million |
| 2000 | 249 | 94 | 155 | $19.7 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Maryland norm
The median bill is $3,997 (Maryland: $4,093), 0.93% 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 Ocean City
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.
Ocean City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City | D | $445K | $429K | 0.93% | $1,210 |
Questions about the cost of living in Ocean City
Is Ocean City expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Ocean City costs more than 89% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #242 of 260 in Maryland. The typical home costs 5.2 years of the median household income of the Ocean Pines, MD micro area ($82K).
How much does a house cost in Ocean City?
About $445K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.5% in a year. The Maryland typical home is $425K.
What salary do you need to live in Ocean City?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $115,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,680 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $48,000.
How much is rent in Ocean City?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,210 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,353 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Ocean City?
The median bill is $3,997 a year, 0.93% of the median home value (Maryland: $4,093, 0.97%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Ocean City going up?
No: down 0.5% in the past year and 16.6% in five years, against 13.3% across Maryland (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Ocean City 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.