Maryland closing cost calculator

Maryland buyers usually pay half of the state transfer tax and half of the county recordation and transfer taxes. A first-time Maryland homebuyer’s default share is zero.

Maryland’s rules checked September 30, 2026Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved.

State Closing date

County or city

Maryland: State and county transfer tax: 0.5% of the price, plus a typical 1% county transfer tax, and buyer and seller usually split it. Buyers also pay recordation tax. Owner’s title is usually paid by the buyer.

Purchase price

$

The loan

Loan type

Down payment

Interest rate

%

Term

Estimated cash to close $104,910

4.1%closing costs

Purchase price$435,000
Down payment (20%)$87,000
- Loan amount$348,000
Loan costs+$4,180
- Origination and lender feesest.+$3,480
- Appraisalest.+$700
Title and closing+$2,873
- Lender’s title insuranceest.+$500
- Owner’s title insuranceest.+$1,523
- Settlement or escrow feeest.+$600
- Recording feesest.+$250
Taxes+$5,108
- State and county transfer tax (half)+$3,263
- Recordation tax (half)+$1,523
- Property taxes the seller prepaidest.+$322
Prepaids and escrow+$5,299
- Homeowner’s insurance, first yearest.+$2,175
- Prepaid interest (27 days)est.+$1,673
- Property tax escrow (3 months)est.+$1,088
- Insurance escrow (2 months)est.+$363
Other costs+$450
- Home inspectionest.+$450
Cash to close$104,910

Estimated monthly payment$2,744

Principal and interest$2,200
Mortgage insurance$0
Property taxes$363
Insurance$181
HOA dues$0

An estimate, not a Loan Estimate or Closing Disclosure. Your lender's Loan Estimate and the title or escrow company give the final figures. Rates, fees and insurance vary by lender and property.

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A Maryland purchase, worked out

The calculator opens on $435,000, about the median value of an owner-occupied home in Maryland ($436,300, 2024 Census estimate), with 20% down on a 30-year conventional loan and a closing on December 5, 2026.

The buyer brings about $104,910: $87,000 down and $17,910 in closing costs, 4.1% of the price. Maryland’s taxes on the buyer come to $4,786 of that: state and county transfer tax (half) $3,263, recordation tax (half) $1,523. The monthly payment comes to about $2,744, with property tax and insurance.

Cash to close on $435,000, 20% down
Down payment	$87,000
Origination and lender feesest.	+$3,480
Appraisalest.	+$700
Lender’s title insuranceest.	+$500
Owner’s title insuranceest.	+$1,523
Settlement or escrow feeest.	+$600
Recording feesest.	+$250
State and county transfer tax (half)	+$3,263
Recordation tax (half)	+$1,523
Property taxes the seller prepaidest.	+$322
Homeowner’s insurance, first yearest.	+$2,175
Prepaid interest (27 days)est.	+$1,673
Property tax escrow (3 months)est.	+$1,088
Insurance escrow (2 months)est.	+$363
Home inspectionest.	+$450
Cash to close	$104,910

Estimates are tagged “est.”; Maryland’s taxes follow its rules. A “−” is a credit, like the seller’s share of this year’s property tax where it’s paid after the year ends.

At other prices

Maryland’s buyer taxes: the recordation tax (0.7% of the price, split between buyer and seller). The buyer usually pays half the state and county transfer tax. Each row has 20% down on a conventional loan.

Price	Maryland’s buyer taxes	Closing costs	Cash to close	Monthly payment
$250,000	$2,750	$11,647	$61,647	$1,597
$500,000	$5,500	$20,210	$120,210	$3,153
$750,000	$8,250	$29,225	$179,225	$4,730
$1,000,000	$11,000	$38,300	$238,300	$6,307
$2,000,000	$22,000	$74,599	$474,599	$12,613

Buying in Maryland: what to know

Taxes buyers pay

The buyer’s Maryland taxes are their half of the state transfer tax, the county recordation tax and any county transfer tax. The purchase loan itself isn’t subject to recordation tax.

State and county transfer tax

Maryland’s state transfer tax is 0.5% of the price, and every county adds a recordation tax, charged per $500, and most add a county transfer tax. By law these are shared equally unless the contract says otherwise. In a sale to a first-time Maryland homebuyer who will live in the home, the state rate drops to 0.25% and the seller pays it all, along with all recordation and local transfer tax unless the parties agree otherwise.

Title insurance

The owner’s policy is optional in Maryland, and the buyer customarily chooses and pays for it.

Who runs the closing

Maryland doesn’t require an attorney. Licensed title insurance producers and settlement companies routinely handle closings.

Property taxes and escrow

Maryland’s tax year runs July 1 to June 30. The bill is due July 1 and can be paid without interest through September 30; owner-occupied homes can pay in two halves, the second due around December 31. Taxes are paid in advance, so the buyer typically reimburses the seller for the prepaid part.

Local differences

Fiscal 2026 county rates (recordation per $500, then county transfer tax): Baltimore City $5.00 and 1.5%; Baltimore County $2.50 and 1.5%; Prince George’s $2.75 and 1.4%; Howard $2.50 and 1.25%; Anne Arundel $3.50 and 1%, plus 0.5% on sales of $1 million or more; Frederick $7.00 and none; Charles $7.00 and 0.5%. Montgomery charges $4.45 per $500 with higher rates above $500,000, exempts the first $100,000 for a principal residence, and adds its own transfer tax; a $675,000 principal residence pays $6,440 in recordation tax, $3,220 per side. Counties can change rates each July 1. Pick the county in the calculator and it uses that county’s rates; with no county picked, it assumes a typical 1% county transfer tax.

Maryland by county

Most of Maryland follows the rules above. These counties add a tax of their own, set a different rate or change who pays, and the calculator applies them when you pick one. Amounts are what the buyer usually pays in transfer and deed taxes on $435,000 with 20% down, plus the owner’s title policy where the buyer usually buys it.

Everywhere else in Maryland

The state’s rules, as above

$6,309

Allegany County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax

$5,221 −$1,088 vs. elsewhere

Anne Arundel County

County’s 1% transfer tax
0.5% surcharge from $1 million

$6,309 Same as elsewhere

Baltimore County

County’s 1.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.5%, split

$6,961 +$652 vs. elsewhere

Baltimore City

City’s 1.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 1%, split

$8,048 +$1,739 vs. elsewhere

Calvert County

No county transfer tax
Recordation tax 1%, split

$4,786 −$1,523 vs. elsewhere

Caroline County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 1%, split

$5,873 −$436 vs. elsewhere

Carroll County

No county transfer tax
Recordation tax 1.3%, split

$5,439 −$870 vs. elsewhere

Cecil County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.82%, split

$5,482 −$827 vs. elsewhere

Charles County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 1.4%, split

$6,743 +$434 vs. elsewhere

Dorchester County

County’s 0.75% transfer tax
Recordation tax 1%, split

$6,417 +$108 vs. elsewhere

Frederick County

No county transfer tax
Recordation tax 1.4%, split

$5,656 −$653 vs. elsewhere

Garrett County

County’s 1% transfer tax

$6,309 Same as elsewhere

Harford County

County’s 1% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.66%, split

$6,222 −$87 vs. elsewhere

Howard County

County’s 1.25% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.5%, split

$6,418 +$109 vs. elsewhere

Kent County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.66%, split

$5,134 −$1,175 vs. elsewhere

Montgomery County

County’s 1% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.89% to 2.27%, split

$6,277 −$32 vs. elsewhere

Prince George's County

County’s 1.4% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.55%, split

$6,852 +$543 vs. elsewhere

Queen Anne's County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.99%, split

$5,851 −$458 vs. elsewhere

Somerset County

No county transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.66%, split

$4,047 −$2,262 vs. elsewhere

St. Mary's County

County’s 1% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.8%, split

$6,526 +$217 vs. elsewhere

Talbot County

County’s 1% transfer tax
Recordation tax 1.2%, split

$7,396 +$1,087 vs. elsewhere

Washington County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.76%, split

$5,351 −$958 vs. elsewhere

Wicomico County

No county transfer tax

$4,134 −$2,175 vs. elsewhere

Worcester County

County’s 0.5% transfer tax
Recordation tax 0.66%, split

$5,134 −$1,175 vs. elsewhere

Coming changes

MarylandBeing checked
Maryland counties set their recordation and transfer tax rates for each fiscal year from July 1. The rates here are the fiscal 2026 rates; fiscal 2027 rates are being checked.

Buying in Maryland: questions

Do first-time buyers pay transfer tax in Maryland?

Not by default. When a first-time Maryland homebuyer will live in the home, the seller pays the state transfer tax (at 0.25%), the recordation tax and the local transfer tax unless the parties agree otherwise.

Is my mortgage taxed in Maryland?

No. Maryland doesn’t charge recordation tax on a purchase mortgage or deed of trust given as part of the purchase.

How much is the recordation tax in Montgomery County?

Montgomery charges $4.45 per $500 up to $500,000 and higher rates above, and exempts the first $100,000 for a principal residence. A $675,000 principal residence pays $6,440, or $3,220 for each side when split.

How much are closing costs in Maryland?

On a $435,000 home with 20% down on a conventional loan, the calculator’s estimates put a Maryland buyer’s closing costs at about $17,910, or 4.1% of the price, and cash to close at $104,910. Maryland’s taxes on the buyer come to $4,786 of that: state and county transfer tax (half) $3,263, recordation tax (half) $1,523. Lender fees, insurance and the rate vary, so put in your lender’s Loan Estimate for a closer number.

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