Best Cities for Single Buyers

A new study finds the best American cities for singles to buy a home, instead of renting. None of the top 10 cities were located in the Northeast.

The region with the most single homeowner-friendly cities was the South (four), followed by the Pacific West (three), the Mountain States (two), and the Midwest had one city. Arizona and California were the only two states in the top 10 with multiple entrants (Scottsdale and Tucson, Bakersfield and Oakland, respectively). Anchorage, Alaska was number one on SmartAsset's ranking with nearly 11 percent growth from 2013 to 2017 in the share of singles opting to buy.

To buy or to rent? It’s a tough question. And though buying a home can seem a more feasible undertaking with a partner to help cover the down payment and mortgage, American singles in certain cities are more commonly opting to buy instead of rent. Rather than throw away rent money to a landlord, singles with enough in their savings accounts are embracing homeownership and the benefits of building up their home equity.

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