Downtown Living on the Cheap: 50 Affordable Cities to Buy a Home

If the appeal of city living piques your attention and the idea of living among the bustling streets and skyscrapers of an urban population calls your name, you're in luck. Here, we have a list of the 50 most affordable downtown settings in the nation.

Methodology

To determine the most affordable downtowns to live in, 24/7 Tempo reviewed five-year data on household value and household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Cities were ranked based on the ratio of average home value to average household income in their downtown census tracts. Downtown areas were defined as the census tracts that fall at least 50% within the 1.8-mile radius around a city hall. Boundary definitions are from the U.S. Census Bureau and are for 2022. Only downtowns in principal cities with at least 200,000 residents in metropolitan statistical areas were considered. City hall coordinates are also from the Census Bureau.

50. Downtown Austin, TX

Average home value: $965,533 (6.0 times income)
Average household income: $161,057
Est. downtown population: 48,600

49. Downtown Oxnard, CA

Average home value: $551,454 (5.7 times income)
Average household income: $96,694
Est. downtown population: 59,000

48. Downtown Phoenix, AZ

Average home value: $382,987 (5.6 times income)
Average household income: $68,007
Est. downtown population: 26,300

47. Downtown Lexington, KY

Average home value: $387,728 (5.6 times income)
Average household income: $68,982
Est. downtown population: 35,000

46. Downtown Stockton, CA

Average home value: $351,885 (5.6 times income)
Average household income: $63,106
Est. downtown population: 33,200

45. Downtown Seattle, WA

Average home value: $726,271 (5.5 times income)
Average household income: $131,432
Est. downtown population: 93,800

44. Downtown Denver, CO

Average home value: $594,638 (5.3 times income)
Average household income: $112,437
Est. downtown population: 81,100

43. Downtown El Paso, TX

Average home value: $262,583 (5.2 times income)
Average household income: $50,041
Est. downtown population: 19,400

42. Downtown Spokane, WA

Average home value: $339,559 (5.2 times income)
Average household income: $65,388
Est. downtown population: 26,100

41. Downtown Las Vegas, NV

Average home value: $270,479 (5.1 times income)
Average household income: $53,311
Est. downtown population: 36,700

40. Downtown Washington, DC

Average home value: $801,106 (5.0 times income)
Average household income: $160,123
Est. downtown population: 89,600

39. Downtown Tampa, FL

Average home value: $668,656 (5.0 times income)
Average household income: $134,265
Est. downtown population: 34,800

38. Downtown Colorado Springs, CO

Average home value: $438,948 (5.0 times income)
Average household income: $88,600
Est. downtown population: 21,300

37. Downtown Nashville, TN

Average home value: $471,089 (4.9 times income)
Average household income: $96,616
Est. downtown population: 27,000

36. Downtown San Antonio, TX

Average home value: $340,202 (4.8 times income)
Average household income: $70,724
Est. downtown population: 24,700

35. Downtown Durham, NC

Average home value: $459,288 (4.8 times income)
Average household income: $95,623
Est. downtown population: 29,600

34. Downtown Milwaukee, WI

Average home value: $418,396 (4.8 times income)
Average household income: $87,211
Est. downtown population: 41,300

33. Downtown Worcester, MA

Average home value: $285,084 (4.8 times income)
Average household income: $59,541
Est. downtown population: 61,800

32. Downtown Richmond, VA

Average home value: $340,799 (4.8 times income)
Average household income: $71,399
Est. downtown population: 39,000

31. Downtown Tucson, AZ

Average home value: $277,105 (4.7 times income)
Average household income: $59,290
Est. downtown population: 21,900

30. Downtown Greensboro, NC

Average home value: $300,212 (4.6 times income)
Average household income: $65,134
Est. downtown population: 26,200

29. Downtown Winston-Salem, NC

Average home value: $272,951 (4.5 times income)
Average household income: $60,191
Est. downtown population: 20,800

28. Downtown Buffalo, NY

Average home value: $306,524 (4.5 times income)
Average household income: $68,583
Est. downtown population: 31,200

27. Downtown Fresno, CA

Average home value: $224,137 (4.4 times income)
Average household income: $51,255
Est. downtown population: 38,200

26. Downtown Raleigh, NC

Average home value: $499,105 (4.3 times income)
Average household income: $115,591
Est. downtown population: 27,800

25. Downtown Philadelphia, PA

Average home value: $611,816 (4.3 times income)
Average household income: $142,778
Est. downtown population: 161,400

24. Downtown Columbus, OH

Average home value: $508,521 (4.3 times income)
Average household income: $118,737
Est. downtown population: 27,300

23. Downtown Memphis, TN

Average home value: $306,840 (4.3 times income)
Average household income: $71,698
Est. downtown population: 17,100

22. Downtown Oklahoma City, OK

Average home value: $431,059 (4.3 times income)
Average household income: $101,227
Est. downtown population: 15,200

21. Downtown Charlotte, NC

Average home value: $615,597 (4.2 times income)
Average household income: $145,211
Est. downtown population: 35,100

20. Downtown Atlanta, GA

Average home value: $318,236 (4.2 times income)
Average household income: $75,199
Est. downtown population: 51,000

19. Downtown Cincinnati, OH

Average home value: $372,534 (4.2 times income)
Average household income: $88,935
Est. downtown population: 33,500

18. Downtown Orlando, FL

Average home value: $515,764 (4.0 times income)
Average household income: $127,508
Est. downtown population: 24,800

17. Downtown Minneapolis, MN

Average home value: $385,257 (4.0 times income)
Average household income: $97,032
Est. downtown population: 74,200

16. Downtown Baltimore, MD

Average home value: $357,586 (3.9 times income)
Average household income: $92,864
Est. downtown population: 75,900

15. Downtown Chicago, IL

Average home value: $683,367 (3.8 times income)
Average household income: $177,577
Est. downtown population: 145,400

14. Downtown Dallas, TX

Average home value: $519,097 (3.8 times income)
Average household income: $136,222
Est. downtown population: 39,700

13. Downtown Indianapolis, IN

Average home value: $409,347 (3.8 times income)
Average household income: $108,372
Est. downtown population: 29,100

12. Downtown Lincoln, NE

Average home value: $193,467 (3.7 times income)
Average household income: $52,543
Est. downtown population: 31,800

11. Downtown Detroit, MI

Average home value: $274,295 (3.5 times income)
Average household income: $77,888
Est. downtown population: 17,900

10. Downtown Houston, TX

Average home value: $462,845 (3.4 times income)
Average household income: $135,632
Est. downtown population: 52,900

9. Downtown Pittsburgh, PA

Average home value: $283,137 (3.1 times income)
Average household income: $91,356
Est. downtown population: 36,300

8. Downtown Kansas City, MO

Average home value: $250,384 (3.0 times income)
Average household income: $82,224
Est. downtown population: 21,400

7. Downtown Omaha, NE

Average home value: $187,090 (2.9 times income)
Average household income: $63,856
Est. downtown population: 30,700

6. Downtown Laredo, TX

Average home value: $117,737 (2.5 times income)
Average household income: $47,119
Est. downtown population: 27,000

5. Downtown Lubbock, TX

Average home value: $109,282 (2.5 times income)
Average household income: $44,325
Est. downtown population: 21,700

4. Downtown Rochester, NY

Average home value: $138,501 (2.4 times income)
Average household income: $57,303
Est. downtown population: 41,000

3. Downtown Fort Wayne, IN

Average home value: $137,650 (2.0 times income)
Average household income: $68,442
Est. downtown population: 21,700

2. Downtown Toledo, OH

Average home value: $75,199 (2.0 times income)
Average household income: $37,496
Est. downtown population: 21,000

1. Downtown Wichita, KS

Average home value: $110,929 (1.8 times income)
Average household income: $61,674
Est. downtown population: 18,800