Most Affordable Markets for First-Time Buyers

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Many first-time home buyers are struggling to afford the higher home prices. The National Association of REALTORS® reports the median home price for existing homes in September rose to $352,800, up 13% compared to a year earlier.

Repeat buyers usually use the equity in their current home for a down payment on their next home. “But first-time buyers don’t have that luxury,” Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief economist, told Forbes.com.

In September, first-time home buyers comprised 28% of home sales, down from 31% a year ago. “A number of potential buyers have merely paused their search, but their desire and need for a home remain,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

Affordability challenges are prompting many millennials—the majority of whom are first-time home buyers—to move outside of cities to the suburbs or even the exurbs. Forbes Advisor identified the top markets for first-time home buyers by looking at where cities’ average wages are enough to afford a median-priced single-family home; the most affordable markets for remote workers; and the most affordable cities for condo buyers.

In the top 10 most affordable cities for those earning the average wage, the median sales price of a single-family home was under $200,000. The following are the five cities that topped Forbes Advisor’s list as most affordable places for average-wage earners:

1. Macon, Ga.

• Median sales price (Q3 2021): $104,750
• Annual income needed to buy a home: $19,471

2. Peoria, Ill.

• Median sales price (Q3 2021): $124,950
• Annual income needed to buy a home: $28,749

3. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich.

• Median sales price (Q3 2021): $155,000
• Annual income needed to buy a home: $30,949

4. Augusta, Ga.

• Median sales price (Q3 2021): $132,000
• Annual income needed to buy a home: $23,568

5. Charleston, W.Va.

• Median sales price (Q3 2021): $138,500
• Annual income needed to buy a home: $24,274

The most affordable cities for condo buyers, according to Forbes Advisor, are:

1. Tulsa, Okla.

Median price for condos, townhomes, rowhomes,  and co-ops (August 2021): $81,500

2. Wichita, Kan.

Median price: $103,000

3. Hartford, Conn.

Median price: $103,950

4. Harrisburg, Pa.

Median price: $108,500

5. Columbia, S.C.

Median price: $119,700

View the full list of top markets based on category for first-time home buyers at Forbes.com.