The 10 most affordable U.S. cities to buy a home
A recent analysis by WalletHub identifies Flint, Michigan as the most affordable city in the U.S. for homebuyers, with a median home price of approximately $66,000. Despite some affordable options, the overall housing market remains challenging, with the income needed to afford a typical home rising significantly since 2020. Factors such as job location and family ties often influence people's decisions to move, overshadowing affordability alone.
- ▪Flint, Michigan ranks as the most affordable real estate market in the U.S. according to WalletHub.
- ▪The median home price in Flint is about $66,000, while Detroit's median is around $76,500.
- ▪The income needed to afford a typical U.S. home has increased from about $63,000 in January 2020 to approximately $120,000 now.
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| Original publisher | CBS News — Top |
| Canonical URL | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-affordable-cities-buy-home/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 19 May 2026 13:46:01 -0400 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-19T17:49:57.876Z |
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MoneyWatch The 10 most affordable U.S. cities to buy a home .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Aimee Picchi Aimee Picchi Associate Managing Editor, MoneyWatch Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports. Read Full Bio Aimee Picchi May 19, 2026 / 1:46 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Homeownership has rarely been further out of reach for most Americans, but in some midsize Rust Belt and Sun Belt cities, the math can still work.Flint, Michigan, once closely linked with the auto industry, ranks as the nation's most affordable…
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