Which Cities Are the Most Affordable for Average-Income Families?

Is your average-income family looking for a good deal on a home? Moving to the middle could help. If you don't mind unpredictable snow and increased cheese consumption sounds like a dream, buying a home in the Midwest can get families the most bang for their buck.

In 2018, the median household income in the U.S. was $61,937 while the median home value was $229,700. But because median household incomes and home values differ greatly by place, home affordability can vary drastically. With this in mind, SmartAsset decided to take a closer look at home affordability in the U.S.

To find where the average U.S. household can afford the most and least house, we examined data for the 50 largest cities in the U.S. Specifically, we used our home buying calculator to input data on the median household income in each city and average non-mortgage debt by state to estimate how much home the average household could afford. We then ranked cities based on where local households could afford the most and least home relative to the median home value. For details on our data sources and how we put all the information together to create our final rankings, check out the Data and Methodology section below.

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