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How Long It Will Take To Save For a Down Payment in 50 US Cities



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Saving up for a down payment can be a financial hurdle for prospective homebuyers, particularly in large cities where home prices are far outpacing wages. Even in the most affordable cities, it would take a median-earning household nearly five years to save for a down payment on a median single-family home.
To find out how long it would take to save for a down payment in 50 major U.S. cities, Zoocasa calculated what a 15% down payment would be for a median-priced single-family home. Next, it calculated how long it would take a household earning the median income to save for this down payment, assuming they are saving 10% of their annual income.
Here’s a look at how long it would take to save for a down payment in cities across the U.S., ranked from shortest to longest amount of time.
Buffalo, New York
- Median single-family home price: $220,000
- 15% down payment: $33,000
- Median household income: $68,014
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 4.9 years
Pittsburgh
- Median single-family home price: $210,200
- 15% down payment: $31,530
- Median household income: $60,187
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 5.2 years
Wichita, Kansas
- Median single-family home price: $210,600
- 15% down payment: $31,590
- Median household income: $60,712
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 5.2 years
Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Median single-family home price: $335,000
- 15% down payment: $50,250
- Median household income: $87,544
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 5.7 years
Oklahoma City
- Median single-family home price: $250,000
- 15% down payment: $37,500
- Median household income: $64,251
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 5.8 years
Omaha, Nebraska
- Median single-family home price: $282,300
- 15% down payment: $42,345
- Median household income: $70,202
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.0 years
Kansas City, Missouri
- Median single-family home price: $270,000
- 15% down payment: $40,500
- Median household income: $65,256
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.2 years
Louisville, Kentucky
- Median single-family home price: $266,000
- 15% down payment: $39,900
- Median household income: $63,114
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.3 years
Memphis, Tennessee
- Median single-family home price: $205,000
- 15% down payment: $30,750
- Median household income: $48,090
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.4 years
Milwaukee
- Median single-family home price: $257,299
- 15% down payment: $38,595
- Median household income: $59,319
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.5 years
Philadelphia
- Median single-family home price: $250,000
- 15% down payment: $37,500
- Median household income: $57,537
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.5 years
Baltimore
- Median single-family home price: $405,000
- 15% down payment: $60,750
- Median household income: $88,157
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 6.9 years
Chicago
- Median single-family home price: $339,900
- 15% down payment: $50,985
- Median household income: $71,673
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.1 years
Minneapolis
- Median single-family home price: $366,000
- 15% down payment: $54,900
- Median household income: $76,332
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.2 years
Columbus, Ohio
- Median single-family home price: $310,000
- 15% down payment: $46,500
- Median household income: $62,994
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.4 years
Charleston, South Carolina
- Median single-family home price: $413,566
- 15% down payment: $62,035
- Median household income: $83,891
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.4 years
Indianapolis
- Median single-family home price: $296,000
- 15% down payment: $44,400
- Median household income: $59,110
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.5 years
St. Louis
- Median single-family home price: $268,800
- 15% down payment: $40,320
- Median household income: $52,941
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.6 years
Cleveland
- Median single-family home price: $190,700
- 15% down payment: $28,605
- Median household income: $37,271
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.7 years
Austin, Texas
- Median single-family home price: $450,000
- 15% down payment: $67,500
- Median household income: $86,556
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.8 years
Charlotte, North Carolina
- Median single-family home price: $385,000
- 15% down payment: $57,750
- Median household income: $74,070
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.8 years
San Antonio
- Median single-family home price: $310,223
- 15% down payment: $46,533
- Median household income: $59,593
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.8 years
Atlanta
- Median single-family home price: $410,000
- 15% down payment: $61,500
- Median household income: $77,655
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 7.9 years
New Orleans
- Median single-family home price: $280,000
- 15% down payment: $42,000
- Median household income: $51,116
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 8.2 years
Houston
- Median single-family home price: $330,000
- 15% down payment: $49,500
- Median household income: $60,440
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 8.2 years
Seattle
- Median single-family home price: $633,717
- 15% down payment: $95,058
- Median household income: $116,068
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 8.2 years
Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Median single-family home price: $351,000
- 15% down payment: $52,650
- Median household income: $61,503
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 8.6 years
Tampa, Florida
- Median single-family home price: $410,000
- 15% down payment: $61,500
- Median household income: $66,802
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.2 years
Portland, Oregon
- Median single-family home price: $535,000
- 15% down payment: $80,250
- Median household income: $85,876
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.3 years
Jacksonville, Florida
- Median single-family home price: $396,688
- 15% down payment: $59,503
- Median household income: $64,138
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.3 years
Dallas
- Median single-family home price: $395,000
- 15% down payment: $59,250
- Median household income: $63,985
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.3 years
Washington
- Median single-family home price: $640,000
- 15% down payment: $96,000
- Median household income: $101,722
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.4 years
Detroit
- Median single-family home price: $241,500
- 15% down payment: $36,225
- Median household income: $37,761
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.6 years
Richmond, Virginia
- Median single-family home price: $406,495
- 15% down payment: $60,974
- Median household income: $62,708
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 9.7 years
Orlando, Florida
- Median single-family home price: $444,000
- 15% down payment: $66,600
- Median household income: $66,292
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10 years
Phoenix
- Median single-family home price: $479,000
- 15% down payment: $71,850
- Median household income: $72,092
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10 years
Nashville, Tennessee
- Median single-family home price: $493,220
- 15% down payment: $73,983
- Median household income: $71,328
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.4 years
Portland, Maine
- Median single-family home price: $497,400
- 15% down payment: $74,610
- Median household income: $71,498
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.4 years
Sacramento, California
- Median single-family home price: $550,000
- 15% down payment: $82,500
- Median household income: $78,954
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.4 years
Tucson, Arizona
- Median single-family home price: $364,900
- 15% down payment: $54,735
- Median household income: $52,049
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.5 years
Birmingham, Alabama
- Median single-family home price: $301,900
- 15% down payment: $45,285
- Median household income: $42,464
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.7 years
Burlington, Vermont
- Median single-family home price: $468,900
- 15% down payment: $70,335
- Median household income: $64,931
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.8 years
Denver
- Median single-family home price: $624,723
- 15% down payment: $93,708
- Median household income: $85,853
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.9 years
Salt Lake City
- Median single-family home price: $525,950
- 15% down payment: $78,893
- Median household income: $72,357
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 10.9 years
New York
- Median single-family home price: $659,200
- 15% down payment: $98,880
- Median household income: $76,607
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 12.9 years
Los Angeles
- Median single-family home price: $801,000
- 15% down payment: $120,150
- Median household income: $83,411
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 14.4 years
Miami
- Median single-family home price: $630,000
- 15% down payment: $94,500
- Median household income: $64,215
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 14.7 years
Boston
- Median single-family home price: $900,500
- 15% down payment: $135,075
- Median household income: $89,212
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 15.1 years
San Francisco
- Median single-family home price: $1,386,500
- 15% down payment: $207,975
- Median household income: $136,689
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 15.2 years
San Diego
- Median single-family home price: $1,020,000
- 15% down payment: $153,000
- Median household income: $98,657
- Years it would take to save for a down payment: 15.5 years
Data is sourced from Zoocasa and is accurate as of April 25, 2024.
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