The Down Cost You’d Want To Comfortably Afford a Dwelling in These Common Cities

With interest rates and home prices as high as they are, the average American is no longer able to comfortably afford a home with a 20% down payment, a recent Zillow study found.
Check Out: 50 Safest and Most Affordable US Cities To Live In
Learn More: Become a Real Estate Investor for Just $1K Using This Bezos-Backed Startup
In order to make monthly mortgage costs affordable — meaning principal and interest, plus property taxes and insurance, take up no more than 30% of household income — a homebuyer making the median U.S. income would need to put down a 35.4% down payment, or roughly $127,750, to afford an average-priced home. In some U.S. cities, residents earning the median income need to put down even higher percentages to keep monthly mortgage costs manageable.
Here’s a look at the down payment median income earners would need to provide to comfortably afford monthly mortgage costs in several major U.S. cities.
New York
-
Typical home value: $657,279
-
Down payment needed ($): $494,795
-
Down payment needed (%): 75.3%
Be Aware: 7 Worst States To Buy Property in the Next 5 Years, According to Real Estate Agents
Find Out: 10 Fastest-Cooling Housing Markets in the U.S. — 6 Are in Florida
Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.
Los Angeles
-
Typical home value: $962,388
-
Down payment needed ($): $780,203
-
Down payment needed (%): 81.1%
Learn More: Why Many Regret Moving to Texas Post-Pandemic
Chicago
-
Typical home value: $321,897
-
Down payment needed ($): $95,953
-
Down payment needed (%): 29.8%
Dallas
-
Typical home value: $381,104
-
Down payment needed ($): $152,586
-
Down payment needed (%): 40%
Houston
-
Typical home value: $310,707
-
Down payment needed ($): $76,825
-
Down payment needed (%): 24.7%
Washington
-
Typical home value: $568,862
-
Down payment needed ($): $188,087
-
Down payment needed (%): 33.1%
Discover More: In Less Than a Year, You Might Not Be Able To Afford To Live in These 6 US Housing Markets
Philadelphia
-
Typical home value: $362,204
-
Down payment needed ($): $103,471
-
Down payment needed (%): 28.6%
Miami
-
Typical home value: $490,088
-
Down payment needed ($): $316,270
-
Down payment needed (%): 64.5%
Atlanta
-
Typical home value: $387,471
-
Down payment needed ($): $118,239
-
Down payment needed (%): 30.5%
Boston
-
Typical home value: $701,349
-
Down payment needed ($): $432,875
-
Down payment needed (%): 61.7%
Explore More: Cheapest Places To Buy a Home in Every State
Phoenix
-
Typical home value: $461,352
-
Down payment needed ($): $186,012
-
Down payment needed (%): 40.3%
San Francisco
-
Typical home value: $1,183,272
-
Down payment needed ($): $887,656
-
Down payment needed (%): 75%
Riverside, California
-
Typical home value: $584,710
-
Down payment needed ($): $358,926
-
Down payment needed (%): 61.4%
Detroit
-
Typical home value: $254,325
-
Down payment needed ($): $24,132
-
Down payment needed (%): 9.5%
Read Next: 3 Florida Cities Where You Can Buy Homes For $100,000 or Less
Seattle
-
Typical home value: $753,414
-
Down payment needed ($): $462,095
-
Down payment needed (%): 61.3%
Minneapolis
-
Typical home value: $378,924
-
Down payment needed ($): $102,199
-
Down payment needed (%): 27%
San Diego
-
Typical home value: $958,266
-
Down payment needed ($): $723,527
-
Down payment needed (%): 75.5%
Tampa, Florida
-
Typical home value: $382,802
-
Down payment needed ($): $181,195
-
Down payment needed (%): 47.3%
Be Aware: 10 Dangerous Cities You Shouldn’t Buy a Home in No Matter the Price
Denver
-
Typical home value: $595,649
-
Down payment needed ($): $300,970
-
Down payment needed (%): 50.5%
Baltimore
-
Typical home value: $387,914
-
Down payment needed ($): $100,641
-
Down payment needed (%): 25.9%
St. Louis
-
Typical home value: $253,559
-
Down payment needed ($): $10,773
-
Down payment needed (%): 4.2%
Orlando, Florida
-
Typical home value: $398,881
-
Down payment needed ($): $192,533
-
Down payment needed (%): 48.3%
Check Out: 10 Housing Markets That Will Plummet in Value Before the End of 2024
Charlotte, North Carolina
-
Typical home value: $386,371
-
Down payment needed ($): $149,041
-
Down payment needed (%): 38.6%
San Antonio
-
Typical home value: $289,511
-
Down payment needed ($): $92,158
-
Down payment needed (%): 31.8%
Portland, Oregon
-
Typical home value: $556,385
-
Down payment needed ($): $296,427
-
Down payment needed (%): 53.3%
Sacramento, California
-
Typical home value: $586,875
-
Down payment needed ($): $337,769
-
Down payment needed (%): 57.6%
Find Out: Barbara Corcoran: 3 Cities To Invest In Real Estate Now Before Prices Skyrocket
Pittsburgh
-
Typical home value: $217,285
-
Down payment needed ($): $0
-
Down payment needed (%): 0%
Cincinnati
-
Typical home value: $287,721
-
Down payment needed ($): $59,573
-
Down payment needed (%): 20.7%
Austin, Texas
-
Typical home value: $466,628
-
Down payment needed ($): $209,333
-
Down payment needed (%): 44.9%
Las Vegas
-
Typical home value: $427,509
-
Down payment needed ($): $198,306
-
Down payment needed (%): 46.4%
Learn More: I’m an Economist: Here’s My Prediction for the Housing Market If Trump Wins the Election
Kansas City, Missouri
-
Typical home value: $307,032
-
Down payment needed ($): $76,273
-
Down payment needed (%): 24.8%
Columbus, Ohio
-
Typical home value: $315,438
-
Down payment needed ($): $84,215
-
Down payment needed (%): 26.7%
Indianapolis
-
Typical home value: $282,396
-
Down payment needed ($): $27,570
-
Down payment needed (%): 9.8%
Cleveland
-
Typical home value: $230,536
-
Down payment needed ($): $31,551
-
Down payment needed (%): 13.7%
Read Next: 8 Places Where Houses Are Suddenly Major Bargains
San Jose, California
-
Typical home value: $1,631,252
-
Down payment needed ($): $1,320,275
-
Down payment needed (%): 80.9%
Nashville, Tennessee
-
Typical home value: $446,180
-
Down payment needed ($): $203,325
-
Down payment needed (%): 45.6%
Virginia Beach, Virginia
-
Typical home value: $351,095
-
Down payment needed ($): $112,962
-
Down payment needed (%): 32.2%
Providence, Rhode Island
-
Typical home value: $481,911
-
Down payment needed ($): $257,453
-
Down payment needed (%): 53.4%
Discover More: Why Many Regret Moving to Florida Post-Pandemic
Jacksonville, Florida
-
Typical home value: $361,796
-
Down payment needed ($): $116,974
-
Down payment needed (%): 32.3%
Milwaukee
-
Typical home value: $348,439
-
Down payment needed ($): $348,439
-
Down payment needed (%): 39.3%
Oklahoma City
-
Typical home value: $235,815
-
Down payment needed ($): $31,331
-
Down payment needed (%): 13.3%
Raleigh, North Carolina
-
Typical home value: $449,514
-
Down payment needed ($): $152,410
-
Down payment needed (%): 33.9%
Find Out: 5 Places in America To Retire That Are Just as Cheap as Mexico, Portugal and Costa Rica
Memphis, Tennessee
-
Typical home value: $242,519
-
Down payment needed ($): $30,852
-
Down payment needed (%): 12.7%
Richmond, Virginia
-
Typical home value: $372,080
-
Down payment needed ($): $105,228
-
Down payment needed (%): 28.3%
Louisville, Kentucky
-
Typical home value: $258,557
-
Down payment needed ($): $46,869
-
Down payment needed (%): 18.1%
New Orleans
-
Typical home value: $241,940
-
Down payment needed ($): $46,138
-
Down payment needed (%): 19.1%
Check Out: 3 Cities To Retire In That Are as Awesome as Honolulu and San Francisco but Way Cheaper
Salt Lake City
-
Typical home value: $549,373
-
Down payment needed ($): $251,131
-
Down payment needed (%): 45.7%
Hartford, Connecticut
-
Typical home value: $362,763
-
Down payment needed ($): $129,585
-
Down payment needed (%): 35.7%
Birmingham, Alabama
-
Typical home value: $255,033
-
Down payment needed ($): $19,406
-
Down payment needed (%): 7.6%
Data is sourced from Zillow and is accurate as of June 20, 2024.
More From GOBankingRates
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Down Payment You’d Need To Comfortably Afford a Home in These Popular Cities