What’s up everyone
Believe it or not, after California, the state that most of my clients move here from is Texas! And when I looked it up, Texas is the 10th largest state that is sending the most people to Maryland according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
So I thought today we would compare Texas VS Maryland to see the differences. Now, I know Texas is huge compared to our little state, but regardless, let’s give it a go.
Let’s dive right in!
So, first let’s talk about Housing. Most of my clients are moving from the Dallas area to Montgomery County MD which is right outside of D.C. so for the purpose of this video, let’s see what you can get in Dallas VS what you can get for in Rockville/Potomac which is located in Montgomery county.
According to best places.net, housing in Dallas is much cheaper than Rockville. They gave Dallas a score of 92.9 for housing compared to the US average of 100 while Rockville got a score of 217.2! And if you decided you prefer Potomac or Bethesda, well, that score just went up to 375 and 366 respectively.
But that’s just numbers. Let’s find a house in each with the same budget of $850,000.
I went onto realtor.com and found this super cute house in Dallas for 850k. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2401-South-Blvd_Dallas_TX_75215_M88882-95638
It has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 3834 sq ft and a third of an acre lot or 13,500 sq ft. It has a beautiful pool, deck and fire-it out back, Stunning wood floors, a gourmet kitchen that is really beautiful, primary bathroom with a walk in shower, separate bathtub, granite counter w 2 sinks. I really like this house! It’s stunning! Now, I noticed it has been on the market for 21 days so far which is much longer than if this house was in Rockville or Potomac.
Now let’s look at a house for $850k in Rockville/Potomac. Here is one that is super cute. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/13-Starlight-Ct_Potomac_MD_20854_M51546-85644
4 bed, 3 1/2 baths, 2616 sq ft and an 8000 sq ft lot or .18 of an acre. The biggest differences off the bat are the size of the house and the size of the lot. The Dallas house is $222 a sq ft while the Potomac/Rockville house is $325 sq ft. I keep saying Potomac/Rockville because it is located in Potomac and also in the City of Rockville. I know, it’s confusing but thats for a different video. The other big difference is the backyard. The Potomac house has a really nice deck but not much of a yard while the Dallas house has a flat yard with a pool, fire pit, deck and patio.
Which house do you guys like? I have to say, if I had to choose between these two…I would pick the Dallas house. Sorry Maryland! But look at this house! It’s so grand.
The other big difference is the Potomac house is under contract. It went in multiple offers in 11 days while the Dallas house is still on the market. Good houses (and by good I mean those houses that are priced right and show well) go very quickly here so you need to move quickly if you want to buy a house here.
Let’s move onto food and groceries. According to bestplace.net, Rockville got a score of 113.2 compared to Dallas’ score of 99. Remember these scores are in comparison to the US average of 100.
But let’s dig a little deeper.
Now I know each store will have different prices, but in general food in Maryland is going to be more expensive.
I chose some of the staples and here’s what I found.
Bread- Texas $2.81 Maryland $3.60
Milk- Texas $3.60 Maryland $3.92
Chicken Breast- Texas $4.98 Maryland $5.45
Eggs- Texas $4.02 Maryland $4.29
I think you get the drift. It’s going to be more expensive in Maryland. And within Maryland, Montgomery County is very expensive so just be prepared to pay more for your groceries.
A couple more cost of living comparisons and then we’ll move on to some other stuff.
Utilities are 6% cheaper in Texas.
Transportation is 12% cheaper in Texas.
Beer, coffee, movies and restaurants are all cheaper in Texas.
Even Taxes are less expensive in Texas. Wallethub has Maryland with a total tax burden of 9.44%, mostly due to the individual income tax burden while Texas’ total tax burden is 8%. Just fyi, Maryland’s property taxes are less expensive than Texas. https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494
There is ONE thing that is cheaper in Maryland! Health insurance!! According to ehealth, Maryland premiums start at $79 while Texas starts at $125.
And according to thestreet.com, Texas is the 16th most expensive state when it comes to health insurance while Maryland is the 48th most expensive state when it comes to health insurance. https://www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/the-states-with-the-cheapest-and-most-expensive-health-insurance#gid=ci02a618d9c0002651&pid=35-maryland-annapolis-sh
In fact, health insurance in Maryland is 32.5% less than the national average.
So to sum up the cost of living, besides health insurance- Texas is much less expensive than Maryland.
Let’s move onto some other more cultural differences.
We can’t talk about Dallas VS Rockville/Potomac without mentioning sports. Here in Montgomery County, we ride with the D.C. teams since we border D.C.
There is a big rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders. This was really fun growing up here when Washington had a good team. Not so much in the last 20 years. BUT- there is hope that with a new owner, hopefully soon, this will change. The one thing both places have in common, is that we are both strong sports fans and there is a lot of excitement here in Montgomery County with the DC Caps, Nats, Mystics,Wizards and I know that Dallas fans love their cowboys, mavericks and stars. Also both places love the high school Friday night football although I think Texas takes it a bit more seriously than Maryland.
What about weather. This surprised me because I always thought it would be much hotter in Texas but the weather isn’t that different. Esp when you compare Dallas to Rockville/Potomac.
In Dallas, Average high temps in summer months are in the mid 90’s and average low temps in winter months are usually int he mid-30’s to low 40s.
Rockville summers are hot and humid with average temps in mid 80s to 90s and winter temps average mid 20s-30s. We also get some snow but surprisingly, so does Dallas!
So Rockville weather has more distinct seasons which I prefer but I was definitely surprised there were not more differences in the weather.
Let’s talk about schools
When it comes to education, it’s hard to beat the public schools in Maryland. Ranked 5th in the nation, as opposed to Texas’ ranking of 33rd. https://www.wmar2news.com/rebound/state-of-education/study-maryland-public-school-systems-rank-5th-best-in-u-s
The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) is the largest school district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and according to Niche.com, the DISD has an overall grade of B-. There are other higher rated school districts in the Dallas suburbs such as the Highland Park Independent school district which got an A+ rating from niche.com.
Rockville and Potomac are both located in Montgomery County, Maryland, which has one of the highest-performing school districts in the state. The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) system serves over 160,000 students across 208 schools. According to Niche.com, MCPS has an overall grade of A+ and ranks 2nd out of 25 school districts in Maryland.
It’s worth noting that school quality can be affected by many factors, such as the specific school, teacher quality, curriculum, and resources. Therefore, it’s important to research individual schools and school districts when considering a move or evaluating the quality of education in a specific area.
Let’s Talk about politics…not my favorite subject, but I’ll give it a go.
Here in Maryland, we have quite a mix. While Maryland tends to vote Democratic and our Senators are both Democrats, a lot of Maryland is conservative. It’s really only the counties close to DC that are very liberal- meaning Montgomery, PG, Howard & Baltimore City. They are also the most populated counties. Until recently, we had a republican governor but now we have a democratic one, Wes Moore. So, you may be surprised if you travel throughout our little state to find a wide array of political tendencies.
Texas is generally considered a conservative state with a Republican majority, although there are some areas of the state than lean more liberal like Austin, Houston, San Antonio and yes, Dallas. Both Texas senators are republican as is their Governor, Greg Abbott.
Overall, Texas will lean more conservative and Maryland more liberal. If you are looking for a very liberal place to live in Maryland, I would suggest Montgomery County. We border D.C. and tend to align with D.C. when it comes to policy. And as far as gun laws, Maryland is much stricter than Texas and it does NOT honor permits from any other states so just be aware of that.
So, to wrap up the differences between Texas and Maryland and why I think a lot of Texans are moving here to Montgomery County, MD- Our weather really gives you all 4 seasons, we are right next to D.C. so you have so many job and entertainment opportunities between Maryland and DC as well as an incredible diverse cultural experiences, and you have access to some of the nation’s best schools, healthcare and quality of life. It is going to be more expensive to live here, especially when it comes to housing so be prepared for that.
I hope you got some value out of todays video. If you are thinking of moving to Maryland or DC or Northern VA from Texas, or from anywhere and you want our help, just send us an email, we’ll set up a zoom, we’ll get you started.
If you live in Texas or Maryland, leave a comment below and tell us how we did and if we left anything out. Chime in and share your experience of where you live.
And if you’re trying to pick between Maryland & Virginia, check out this next video!