Alexandria vs Columbia
The short version
- Columbia is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Alexandria area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $497,400 in Columbia and $735,100 in Alexandria.
- Households earn more in Columbia ($131,490 vs $119,681 median).
Side by side
| Alexandria, VA | Columbia, MD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 160,662 | 104,338 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.7% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 10,757 | 3,267 |
| Median age | 37.7 | 39.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66% | 64% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $119,681 | $131,490 |
| Median home value | $735,100 | $497,400 |
| Home value to income | 6.1× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,089 | $2,042 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.9 | 104.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.1 | 118.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,700 | $78,400 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 6.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 28.4 | 27.9 |
| Work from home | 29% | 25% |
| Take public transit | 12% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.3% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 7.9% | 7.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 30° | 43° / 25° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 89° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 14 in | 19 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 34 |
| Nights below freezing | 60 | 93 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 73.7 | 72.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 58% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +2.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +31.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Alexandria: April to June and September to October. Columbia: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Alexandria weather by month and Columbia weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,700 in Alexandria and $78,400 in Columbia. Moving from Alexandria to Columbia, you would need about $72,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Alexandria and Columbia
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Alexandria and Columbia.
Which would you pick?
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