To afford a typical house in the U.S., a homebuyer needs a minimum salary of $48,603 as well as a 20% downpayment, according to new research from mortgage publisher HSH.com.
HSH.com calculated the minimum salary a buyer must earn to pay the principal, interest, insurance and taxes associated with home purchases across 27 metropolitan areas, using fourth-quarter data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and average interest rates for fixed-rate, 30-year mortgages.
“Home prices in metro areas throughout the country continue to show solid price growth, up 25% over the past three years on average,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun told HSH.
San Francisco continues to top the list of most unaffordable cities, requiring a buyer to be paid $142,448, while New York City only requires $87,535; Boston, $80,049; Washington, D.C., $77,394 and Chicago $54,346.
If you want the most bang for your buck, head to Pittsburgh, where you’ll be fine with $31,716; Cleveland, $32,010; St. Louis, $33,323; or Cincinnati, $33,485.
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