Living in Bethesda, MD
Suburb in Maryland
Bethesda is a suburb in Maryland, home to about 67,000 people, with 5.9 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Bethesda a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 12 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Highly educated: 87% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 8 research universities are within 31 mi
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
- Big job market: about 5.9 million people live within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $1.02M, and rent is $2,840 a month
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Bethesda ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Bethesda: common questions
What is the cost of living in Bethesda?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $1.02M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,840 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 109, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Bethesda?
Maryland collects about $1,897 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.89% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Bethesda safe?
Bethesda isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
What is the weather like in Bethesda?
Bethesda has cool winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 86°F, with roughly 6″ of snow a year.
Does Bethesda get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and hurricanes: 8 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.21 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Bethesda?
The nearest major airport is DCA, about 11 mi away.
How Bethesda scores
Each bar compares Bethesda with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Bethesda right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.