Saving for a home is challenging, but it’s even tougher when a local market is stacked against you.
For example, assuming you make San Francisco’s median income and can pay a 10 percent down payment, just one percent of homes in San Francisco are affordable for you. That’s according to the new Home Affordability Report released by home financing company Unison, which analyzes the cost of buying a home in 22 major U.S. cities.
Though some of the results of the report are disheartening, there are some brighter spots: The majority of homes in Phoenix, for example, are actually attainable for people earning median incomes.
The above map shows affordability at median salary with a 10 percent down payment, though most experts recommend putting down 20 percent for the best chances of closing the sale and avoiding mortgage insurance, Unison spokesperson Michael Micheletti told HuffPost. However, that gold standard can be tough to achieve: Homebuyers under 35 muster only an eight percent downpayment on average, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Unison’s report used data from the 2015 U.S. Census American Community Survey. Their results jive with another recent housing report from mortgage site HSH.com, which used data from late 2016 to conclude that San Francisco requires the highest income from prospective homebuyers. Both reports peg the Midwest as especially affordable, though HSH says you’ll need a slightly higher salary to afford a home than Unison concluded below, no matter where you go.
Unison’s number-crunching yielded data on the average home prices in each city and the annual salary needed to purchase a home with both 10 and 20 percent down payments. Contrary to what you might think, a 10 percent downpayment requires a higher salary, because it almost always comes with monthly mortgage insurance payments, Micheletti said. Here are Unison’s results, ranked from most affordable to least:
Median salary: $62,178
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $17,900
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $14,950
Median salary: $61,892
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $22,081
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $18,442
Median salary: $55,566
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $23,373
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $19,522
Median salary: $49,297
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $31,188
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $26,048
Median salary: $57,933
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $32,075
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $26,789
Median salary: $56,579
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $32,950
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $27,520
Median salary: $53,060
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $34,028
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $28,420
Median salary: $74,490
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $36,605
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $30,572
Median salary: $57,739
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $40,413
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $33,753
Median salary: $66,084
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $40,575
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $33,888
Median salary: $58,121
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $41,603
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $34,747
Median salary: $54,297
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $42,008
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $35,085
Median salary: $63,520
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $45,435
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $35,442
Median salary: $52,040
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $46,172
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $38,563
Median salary: $61,033
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $48,054
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $40,135
Median salary: $69,754
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $52,766
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $44,071
Median salary: $64,635
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $62,849
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $52,492
Median salary: $75,822
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $87,631
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $73,190
Median salary: $62,312
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $92,057
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $76,886
Median salary: $84,955
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $96,957
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $80,979
Median salary: $74,397
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $105,761
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $88,332
Median salary: $92,501
Salary needed with a 10 percent down payment: $215,089
Salary needed with a 20 percent down payment: $179,643