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The Most Affordable Places to Buy a Home in 2026

The share of affordable housing is rising. These US cities offer the best value for your budget, according to recent Zillow® data.

Written by May Ortega on March 14, 2026

Edited by Jessica Rapp

There are 14 major cities where at least 50% of listings are considered affordable, according to a recent Zillow analysis. And the share of affordable homes for sale across the United States is larger in early 2026 than it was last year, with a 5% increase.

Top 10 most affordable housing markets

Buffalo, NY, comes out on top as the city with the most affordable home listings as of February 2026; Nearly three-in-four listings there fall into this category.

City	Share of affordable listings	Typical home value
Buffalo, NY	70.94%	$271,753
St. Louis, MO	67.69%	$265,644
Detroit, MI	64.80%	$258,238
Pittsburgh, PA	62.87%	$221,249
Baltimore, MD	61.84%	$394,495
Cincinnati, OH	60.79%	$299,701
Indianapolis, IN	57.58%	$286,468
Kansas City, MO	56.05%	$316,796
Birmingham, AL	55.64%	$255,600
Cleveland, OH	55.58%	$239,419

Top 10 least affordable housing markets

Several California metros had the smallest amount of affordable listings as of February 2026. Los Angeles, CA, was found to have the lowest share of affordable home listings of any major market by far.

City	Share of affordable listings	Typical home value
Los Angeles, CA	5.56%	$954,296
San Diego, CA	11.33%	$928,459
Providence, RI	11.56%	$503,947
San Jose, CA	14.01%	$1,605,186
New York, NY	16.26%	$706,888
Riverside, CA	16.60%	$580,340
Sacramento, CA	17.01%	$572,872
Boston, MA	19.52%	$713,764
San Francisco, CA	20.12%	$1,116,383
Seattle, WA	21.48%	$740,211

Top 10 housing markets with the biggest gains in affordable listings

Every year — even every month — there are changes in home prices around the country. Here are the cities that saw the biggest increases in affordable home listings over the past year:

City	Share of affordable listings	Change from a year earlier
Phoenix, AZ	33.01%	+12.21%
Austin, TX	30.38%	+11.42%
Salt Lake City, UT	29.79%	+11.22%
San Antonio, TX	47.37%	+10.70%
Dallas, TX	38.23%	+10.06%
Washington, DC	49.19%	+9.14%
Denver, CO	33.18%	+9.07%
Houston, TX	40.17%	+9.01%
Memphis, TN	46.45%	+8.94%
Minneapolis, MN	53.73%	+8.61%

What makes a home "affordable"?

Zillow considers a home affordable if the cost of a mortgage on a typical home (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and maintenance) takes up less than 30% of a typical household’s budget — in some cases, a lot less.

How Zillow calculates the rankings:

Typical home value: Based on local market data.
Median household income: Adjusted for the specific metro area.
Mortgage payment: Calculated using current interest rates for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, and assuming a 20% down payment.

Check out Zillow’s Affordability Dashboard to learn more about current home affordability conditions in the United States.

5 factors that impact your personal affordability

Current interest rates: Even a 0.25% drop can save you thousands over the life of the loan.
Credit score: Having a high score unlocks the lowest available interest rates.
Down payment size: More cash upfront means a smaller loan and lower monthly interest.
Debt-to-income (DTI) ratio: Lenders use this to see how much financial "room" you have for a house payment.
Local market favorability: In a buyers market, you have more room to negotiate price cuts.

Free tools to find your home buying budget

Don't guess your budget or how much you can afford to pay for a home. Use Zillow’s data-backed tools to find your price range:

Pre-qualification or pre-approval through Zillow Home Loans: A lender gives you a precise amount of what you can realistically afford.
Zillow Home Loans’ BuyAbility℠ tool: Connects your finances with real-time market rates for a personalized budget.
Affordability calculator: Lets you play with "what-if" scenarios regarding down payments and terms.
Debt-to-income (DTI) calculator: Helps you see your finances through a lender's eyes.