In August 2026, Washington, DC had a $681,500 median sold price and Montgomery County had a $639,540 median. The arithmetic gap was $41,960, or 6.56% of the county median. That calculation describes two jurisdiction medians. It does not value comparable homes across the border.
The DC and Montgomery County divergence report also found a 23-day gap in average marketing time and a 2.1-point gap in average sold-to-original-list ratio.
The broad comparison
| August 2026 | Washington, DC | Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|
| Median sold price | $681,500 | $639,540 |
| Average days on market | 51 | 28 |
| Average sold-to-original-list | 95.7% | 97.8% |
| Active listings | 2,514 | 2,023 |
Active listings moved in opposite year-over-year directions by published count. DC declined 4.3% from 2,626. Montgomery County increased 18.3% from 1,710.
Why this cannot rank the jurisdictions
DC and Montgomery County have different mixes of condominiums, cooperatives, rowhouses, detached homes, neighborhoods, lot patterns, and price bands. A jurisdiction median is sensitive to what sold. It is not a controlled comparison of equivalent properties.
Average marketing time can also differ because the listing populations differ. A 51-day DC average does not establish how long a Georgetown rowhouse will take to sell. A 28-day county average does not establish the speed of a Bethesda condo or Chevy Chase house.
A cross-border buyer's better comparison
Define the real tradeoff first:
- housing form and required space;
- condition and renovation tolerance;
- exact destinations and measured routes;
- taxes, fees, insurance, maintenance, and cash requirements;
- title or association structure;
- current alternatives within the same budget; and
- timing, financing, and appraisal constraints.
Then compare like-for-like evidence within each local market. Preserve the date, source, and reason each property belongs in the set.
Source and scope note
This analysis uses the GCAAR Montgomery County report and GCAAR Washington, DC report for August 2026. Both use Bright MLS data. The calculations are original arithmetic from the published counts and do not create a matched-property sample.
Contact Liz to build a current DC and Maryland comparison around actual properties and objective priorities.