The housing market has become increasingly challenging for potential homeowners in recent years, as soaring prices have made affordability a pressing issue.
According to a recent WalletHub report, the median sale price of homes in the United States surged from $313,000 at the start of 2019 to an eye-watering $416,900 in 2025.
However, affordability extends beyond just the initial purchase price.
WalletHub utilized ten critical metrics to assess the affordability of 300 cities across the country.
“We analyzed factors such as the median house price in relation to the median annual household income, evaluating how far residents’ incomes stretch in different areas,” explained John Kiernan, WalletHub’s managing editor, in an interview with KNX News.
Other metrics included homeowners’ insurance costs, maintenance expenses, and overall living costs.
Kiernan noted that they compared the average square footage of homes to the median listing price, along with evaluating the real estate tax rates and rent-to-price ratios to understand the pathway to homeownership in various cities.
Topping the list of the most affordable cities was Flint, Michigan.
In stark contrast, the report revealed that the majority of the least affordable cities were located in California, with 25 out of the 30 ranked places.
Kiernan emphasized that several factors contribute to California’s low affordability rankings: “They experience the lowest overall housing affordability and the highest cost of living, which is characteristic of cities in the state.”
Given the limited housing supply in wildly popular locations like Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, potential buyers are confronted with steep prices that reflect the substantial demand for these areas.
The Greater Los Angeles region also featured prominently on the list of least affordable cities, including notable locations such as Glendale, Los Angeles, Burbank, Pasadena, El Monte, and Fullerton.
However, the report was not entirely bleak regarding California’s housing market.
Kiernan pointed out a silver lining: “It’s important to recognize that there are 10 California cities in the top 150 most affordable rankings, and when looking at the upper two-thirds of the study, 27 cities from California made the cut.
In fact, more California cities were found in the top 200 than in the bottom 30.”
Victorville stood out as the most affordable city in California, marking its position in the top 100 across the country.
Kiernan humorously remarked, “So if you wanna live near the prison, I guess it’s a little more affordable than the beach.”
Following Victorville in affordability were Lancaster, Visalia, Palmdale, and Stockton, representing some of the more budget-friendly options in the state.
For those interested in the broader findings and rankings, WalletHub’s detailed report is available online.
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