The Census Bureau has answers.

In its newest American Community Survey data, it estimates that the median housing cost last year was $1,728 a month for homeowners with mortgages in the Baltimore metro area. Nearly 30 percent of households with mortgages were paying $2,000 or more, while about 10 percent had costs under $1,000. (Nationally, half of homeowners with mortgages paid more than $1,464 a month and half paid less.)

Median rent in the metro area was $934, Census said. About 10 percent paid $1,500 a month or more. (Unaffordability is a problem for both renters and homeowners: Two in 10 homeowners with mortgages spent at least 35 percent of their income on housing costs, compared with nearly four out of 10 renters.)

About 28 percent of households moved to their home or apartment in 2005 or later. How many of them bought, I can't say, but 69 percent of Baltimore-area homes are owner-occupied.

Meanwhile, the vacancy rate for both rentals and homeowner properties is rising. It was 10 percent in the metro area last year, up from 8 percent in 2005, according to the bureau.