The Easiest Places to Buy a Home in the U.S.

• The U.S. city where it’s the easiest to buy a house is Detroit, with the shortest timeline needed to purchase a home and the lowest house prices.
• Monthly living expenses in San Antonio mark the lowest cost of daily necessities across all analyzed cities letting residents save 75% of their monthly salary.
• Chicago has the highest salary levels, which enables residents to set aside substantial savings after covering basic expenses.

A recent study by Badeloft USA analyzed housing affordability across major U.S. cities by examining four key metrics: average house prices, monthly net salaries after tax, basic living costs (including housing and utilities), and disposable income. The final ranking orders cities by these saving timelines, with Detroit’s 2.6 years establishing the benchmark for affordability.

Detroit ranks first with a 2.6-year path to homeownership, setting a clear benchmark for market accessibility. With entry-level house prices at $74K and steady take-home pay at $3,527 monthly, Detroit offers the most attainable housing market in the study.

Placing second with a 5.3-year timeline to homeownership, El Paso leads in earning potential. Monthly salaries of $4,764 mark the second-highest earnings in the study, complemented by house prices of $223K.

With a timeline of 5.4 years to purchase a home, Indianapolis secures third place. The city matches El Paso’s accessibility through the second-lowest living costs ($1,114) and high monthly earnings of $4,523.

Oklahoma City lands fourth with a 6.4-year path to ownership. Its housing inventory averages $196.9K, marking the second most affordable entry point for homebuyers in major markets.

At number five with a 6.7-year path to ownership, Philadelphia faces the highest living costs at $1,347 monthly. House prices align closely with El Paso and Indianapolis around $220K, helping the city outpace larger markets.

Chicago takes the sixth position with a 6.71-year journey to ownership, showing $4,956 monthly earnings – second only to El Paso. Higher housing costs of $295K affect the timeline, but strong disposable income of $3,674 lessens the impact.

San Antonio’s seventh-place ranking comes with a 6.8-year ownership timeline and the most budget-friendly monthly expenses at $1,036. This cost advantage keeps pace with Dallas despite more moderate income levels.

Dallas claims eighth place as residents need 6.84 years to own a home. The city shows the highest housing prices at $305K – nearly four times Detroit’s rate, though strong monthly earnings of $4,912 help offset costs.

Settling at ninth with a 6.9-year timeline, Houston maintains steady metrics across categories. House prices sit 13% below Dallas, while living costs match Detroit’s figures.

Louisville rounds out the top 10 with a 7-year journey to homeownership, keeping living costs at $1,075 monthly, while moderate salaries of $3,933 extend the timeline compared to larger markets.

A spokesperson from Badeloft USA commented on the study: “Housing markets are showing distinct regional patterns in affordability. The analysis reveals that shorter ownership timelines often appear in areas where local salaries align well with housing costs. Markets with lower living costs give residents more room to save, while high-income areas see strong salaries balancing out steeper housing prices. For buyers looking to build wealth, the sweet spot lies in markets where they can achieve ownership quickly while maintaining healthy monthly savings. The data points to several cities where this balance creates realistic paths to ownership without sacrificing quality of life.” 

You can see the full research by the link.

Eric Jensen

Eric is the founder and president of Badeloft USA. He has been the president of Badeloft’s US division for over ten years and oversees all marketing and branding aspects of Badeloftusa.com.
His expertise lies in small business development, sales, and home and bathroom industry trends and information.

Contact us with any business related inquiries.