Cost of Living in Madison, Maryland

Madison is a Census-designated place in Dorchester County, Maryland, with a population of 195. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Madison is $37,620 a year — less than the annual cost of living for Maryland of $43,414 and roughly in line with the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Madison and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Transportation Costs in Madison, Maryland

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Madison, 85.40% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 69.50% of workers commute to jobs outside of Madison, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Madison is N minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Madison spends $10,584 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Madison, Maryland

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far lower than they are on average nationwide in Madison but in line with what they are across Maryland as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $3,467 per year, compared to an average of $3,549 across Maryland and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Madison, Maryland

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Madison, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $11,028, about $5,100 less than the comparable average of $16,167 across all of Maryland. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Madison, Maryland

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Madison, a single adult spends an average of $3,164 on food annually, and a family of four spends $9,137 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Maryland and the U.S., respectively, are $3,342 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,652 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Madison, Maryland

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Madison, Maryland pays $6,615 annually — relatively little compared to the statewide average of $7,992.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Madison residents live in a state with a high average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Maryland total $3,711 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

Read More About Cost of Living

24/7 Wall St. has published detailed cost of living analysis for all 50 states and over 29,000 cities across the country. Search for a city or state to view here:

See a list of all available cities in Maryland by clicking here.

More Topics

Click here to see detailed analysis about crime in every state
Click here to see updated data about coronavirus in every state

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.