Smart Movers Club

    Moving to Columbia, MD

    Is Columbia a good place to live?

    Watch Columbia

    Columbia ranks #29 of 57 Maryland cities with 25,000+ people on the Smart Movers livability score (50/100), which weighs home affordability, unemployment, education and population growth. Population fell 0.7% in the latest Census year.

    Median home value
    $480,300
    +4.7% vs prior year
    Median rent
    $1,998
    per month
    Household income
    $129,173
    median
    Unemployment
    4.5%
    lower is better

    Cost of living in Columbia

    The median home value in Columbia is $480,300 and median rent is $1,998 a month, against a median household income of $129,173. Homes cost about 3.7× a year of income (under 3× is considered affordable).

    Columbia crime rate

    City-level FBI figures vary by agency; across Maryland the 2025 rate was 365 violent and 1,853 property crimes per 100,000 people — #11 highest of 50 states. The full report breaks down local trends.

    Moving to Columbia, MD

    Columbia has about 105,871 residents, 4.5% unemployment and 29% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher.

    Compare Columbia with

    Columbia vs BaltimoreColumbia vs GermantownColumbia vs WaldorfColumbia vs Silver SpringColumbia vs FrederickColumbia vs Ellicott CityColumbia vs Glen BurnieColumbia vs Gaithersburg

    More: Where to move in Maryland · Best counties in Maryland

    Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates (2023, compared with 2022); FBI Crime Data Explorer.

    Home listings, local news, migration, schools, resources and the Smart Movers Grade & Verdict.

    See the full Smart Movers Club report