32 Big Cities Where You Can Earn Under $100K and Still Own a House

The news hasn’t been encouraging for prospective homebuyers over the past few years, considering soaring home prices and mortgage and interest rates still trending high. But, some big cities remain where you don’t need a six-figure household income to buy a home.

A GOBankingRates study uncovered 32 big cities nationwide where you can earn less than $100,000 and still achieve your dream of home ownership. The study considered the cost of mortgage payments, groceries, health care, utilities and miscellaneous items and made sure a homeowner could live comfortably while still paying the bills. 

If you’re looking for a place to buy a home for less than a $100,000 annual income, consider starting your search in one of these 32 cities.

• Median income: $52,941
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $65,692

• Median income: $60,928
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $69,003

• Median income: $49,733
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $70,807

• Median income: $55,710
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $71,034

• Median income: $56,648
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $71,478

• Median income: $58,233
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $71,778

• Median income: $64,251
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $71,867

• Median income: $64,449
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $73,495

• Median income: $59,110
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $73,770

• Median income: $58,734
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $74,024

• Median income: $49,191
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $75,036

• Median income: $65,256
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $75,375

• Median income: $60,187
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $75,854

• Median income: $62,994
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $78,135

• Median income: $59,593
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $78,219

• Median income: $55,051
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $78,782

• Median income: $69,919
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $81,106

• Median income: $66,087
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $82,845

• Median income: $60,998
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $84,907

• Median income: $70,202
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $86,420

• Median income: $72,726
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $86,743

• Median income: $64,138
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $86,976

• Median income: $71,736
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $88,767

• Median income: $63,985
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $88,913

• Median income: $67,846
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $89,360

• Median income: $76,332
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $90,287

• Median income: $76,686
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $92,833

• Median income: $59,606
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $93,937

• Median income: $63,316
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $94,731

• Median income: $76,402
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $98,475

• Median income: $74,070
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $99,169

• Median income: $74,710
• Income needed if you’re a homeowner: $99,603

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the income someone would need to live comfortably in 50 major U.S. cities. GOBankingRates started by gathering the [1] top 100 most populated cities in the United States, as sourced from the U.S. Census American Consumer Survey. For each city, the cost-of-living indexes across a variety of expenditures were sourced including [2] grocery cost-of-living index, [3] healthcare cost-of-living index, [4] utilities cost-of-living index, [5] transportation cost-of-living index and [6] miscellaneous cost-of-living index, all sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces. These were multiplied by the [7] national average expenditure cost, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, to find the average expenditure cost for each city. The [8] average home value for single-family homes from December 2023 was sourced for each city and using the [9] 30-year fixed rate mortgage national average, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Research, the average mortgage cost was calculated. Combining the average mortgage and the average expenditure costs gives you the income amount needed for a homeowner. Using the 50/30/20 rule, GOBankingRates calculated the amount needed for a homeowner to live comfortably. The [11] livability index was sourced from AreaVibes and the [12] median income was sourced from the U.S. Census American Consumer Survey. Each factor was scored, with all scores combined and sorted to show how much you need to earn to live comfortably in major U.S. cities. All data was collected and is up to date as of Feb. 6, 2024.