Most of Bethesda is in Montgomery County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $79.77 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 8 ZIP codes in Bethesda with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,140 to $3,170 a month. At the middle rent, $2,360, a full-time job would need to pay $87.71 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20814 | Montgomery County | $2,620/mo | $98.34/hr |
| 20816 | Montgomery County | $2,810/mo | $105.55/hr |
| 20817 | Montgomery County | $3,170/mo | $119.54/hr |
| 20824 | Montgomery County | $2,140/mo | $78.48/hr |
| 20827 | Montgomery County | $2,140/mo | $78.48/hr |
| 20889 | Montgomery County | $2,580/mo | $96.82/hr |
| 20892 | Montgomery County | $2,140/mo | $78.48/hr |
| 20894 | Montgomery County | $2,140/mo | $78.48/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Bethesda needs to pay at least $79.77 an hour before taxes, about $165,914 a year. That is the figure for Montgomery County, where the typical studio rent is $2,170 a month.
Yes. Across the 8 ZIP codes in Bethesda with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,140 to $3,170 a month. At the middle rent of $2,360, the pay needed would be $87.71 an hour.
The minimum wage in Montgomery County is $15.00 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.3 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads