Posted on 05/30/2025 7:32:50 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
WalletHub analyzed 300 U.S. cities of varying sizes across ten metrics, including real estate tax rate, cost per square foot, median home price, and median household income. Each metric was scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 indicating the most favorable conditions for home affordability. For this map, only cities with a population over 100,000 were considered.
This map, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, shows the 20 most affordable U.S. cities to buy a home in 2025, according to data from WalletHub.
Detroit leads the list, with a median price per square foot of around $87. The city has faced significant challenges over the decades, including financial crises and the decline of the auto industry, prompting many residents to leave.
Today, more than 22% of homes in Detroit are vacant, creating a strong buyer’s market. According to WalletHub, Detroit is also one of the top cities where buying a home offers greater long-term value than renting. The city was also considered the most affordable large American city in 2025, according to another study.
Also in the Rust Belt, Pittsburgh, PA, ranks as the second-most affordable city for homebuyers, with a median home price approximately 3.8 times higher than the median household income.
Like Detroit, Memphis, TN—ranked third—has also been highlighted as one of the most affordable large cities in the country for working families.
If you enjoyed this map, check out this map on Voronoi about the income needed to buy a home in every U.S. state.
Oh. Okay
Some of those “affordable home” places have astronomical property taxes, which is why the price is “affordable.”
City shoot’em ups, full of stop and stabs. That’s why they’re affordable.
Prices are probably lower in Jackson MS than in many of these cities, but income is even lower.
They are cities conservatives dont want to live in due to democrats and crime. The crime alone makes it undesirable regardless of home cost.
There’s a reason they are “affordable”.
Exactly.
That’s one of the big problems, the old “Fixer Upper” doesn’t exist anymore in a safe neighborhood. That was the primary way young people could get their first home and build equity. Now to live in a somewhat desirable neighborhood, it takes at least a few hundred thousand dollars.
Good point.
Hard pass.
Yep, who wants to live in a bad neighborhood just to have a cheap house?
The cheapest homes are in the least desirable cities.
I don’t get Atlanta. We live in Metro Atlanta and there is not much inventory and prices are not cheap. If you have dreamed of living in a third world foreign land without leaving the states Atlanta is your Huckleberry. 😆
Top of their list - Bottom of my list.
Not a single city in that list from Florida. I guess I am living beyond my means 😂
looks like a list of dem destruction.
should do a red/blue map overlay on this map.
Interesting to see Las Vegas on the list and so high. I thought Vegas was hot.
Indianapolis, IN and Tucson, AZ would be the only ones on the list that I would consider. Albuquerque didn’t make the cut.
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