How Much House Does $400K Buy You on the East Coast?

Just how much house could you buy with $400,000 in savings on the East Coast? The answer ultimately depends on the state and how expensive it is. Potential buyers can purchase more than 2,000 square feet of real estate in three fairly affordable East Coast states: Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina. However, in a state where the cost of living is high, like Massachusetts, this amount couldn’t cover more than 800 square feet of home.

For this article, GOBankingRates referred to key findings from an existing study on how much house one can afford with $400,000 (as well as $300,000 and $500,000) in savings. Data includes each state’s median listing price per square foot and housing cost index.

Keep reading to discover, in alphabetical order, how much house you can buy on the East Coast with $400,000.

• Housing cost-of-living index: 117.2
• Price per square foot: $263
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,524

• Housing cost-of-living index: 96.5
• Price per square foot: $216
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,851

• Housing cost-of-living index: 107.7
• Price per square foot: $241
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,658

• Housing cost-of-living index: 79.2
• Price per square foot: $177
• Square feet for $400,000: 2,255

• Housing cost-of-living index: 135.8
• Price per square foot: $304
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,315

• Housing cost-of-living index: 82.2
• Price per square foot: $184
• Square feet for $400,000: 2,172

• Housing cost-of-living index: 226
• Price per square foot: $506
• Square feet for $400,000: 790

• Housing cost-of-living index: 116.2
• Price per square foot: $260
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,537

• Housing cost-of-living index: 138.2
• Price per square foot: $310
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,292

• Housing cost-of-living index: 170.2
• Price per square foot: $381
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,049

• Housing cost-of-living index: 95.6
• Price per square foot: $214
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,868

• Housing cost-of-living index: 114.4
• Price per square foot: $256
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,561

• Housing cost-of-living index: 86.4
• Price per square foot: $194
• Square feet for $400,000: 2,067

• Housing cost-of-living index: 103.8
• Price per square foot: $233
• Square feet for $400,000: 1,720

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed each state to find out how much house $400,000 can afford. First, GOBankingRates found the median listing price per square foot in the U.S., as sourced from the Federal Reserve of St. Louis for November 2024. Next, GOBankingRates found the housing cost index for each state, as sourced from the Missouri Economic and Research Information Center for Quarter 3 of 2024. Using this data, the price per square foot for each state was calculated, and using $300,000, $400,000, and $500,000 savings as a starting point, the total affordable square foot could calculated for each state. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Jan. 3, 2025.