Resolved Question

Northern Virginia, Maryland (except furthest points west) - Very Expensive - example - we lived in Chantilly, Virginia (actually Loudoun County - West of D.C.) - we sold our house in 1999 for $320,000 - the next year it was appraised at $750,000 (wish we had rented) and now, lord only knows what it is worth - the people that bought it are sitting on a gold mine - and if you look on a map - Chantilly is a Western Suburb - the closer in - the higher the cost for housing! Maryland is the same if not worse. As for Pennsylvania - I lived near Philadelphia awhile ago but I don't know (my parents paid the mortgage - I was a clueless, self-involved teenager! lol). There are quite a few websites that will do cost of living comparisons - this is one of them: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp. Hope this helps!