Buying a home is hardly ever cheap, but in certain places it’s becoming downright unaffordable for those earning less than six figures.
CNBC Make It identified eight U.S. cities where the qualifying income to purchase a home with a 10% or 20% down payment is an annual salary of $100,000 or more, based on data from the National Association of Realtors’ Metropolitan Median Area Prices and Affordability index from the second quarter of 2019.
The data assumes a 4.1% mortgage rate for all areas and a monthly principal and interest payment limited to 25% of a resident’s income.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the locations can be found on the West Coast, which routinely features some cities with some of the highest cost of living in the country. California, in particular, is so expensive that 53% of residents are considering leaving the state in search of more affordable places to live, a survey from Edelman Intelligence found.
Below, check out the eight U.S. cities where you need to earn $100,000 or more a year to become a homeowner, ranked from lowest median home price to highest.
Seattle, Washington
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $114,360
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $101,653
- Median home price: $542,700
Los Angeles, California
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $119,480
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $106,205
- Median home price: $567,000
High end luxury stores and businesses on Rodeo Drive in the Beverly Hills shopping district of Los Angeles California USA. Rodeo drive is a famous high-end shopping street featuring a variety of renowned designer shops, hotels & restaurants. Beverly Hills is a city in California’s Los Angeles County and home to many Hollywood movie stars.
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Boulder, Colorado
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $131,765
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $117,125
- Median home price: $625,300
San Diego, California
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $138,024
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $122,688
- Median home price: $655,000
Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $165,523
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $147,132
- Median home price: $785,500
Honolulu, Hawaii
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Anaheim, California
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $175,954
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $156,404
- Median home price: $835,000
San Francisco, California
- Salary required with a 10% down payment: $221,260
- Salary required with a 20% down payment: $196,675
- Median home price: $1.05 million
San Jose, California
A woman rides on a boat in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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