In the United States, Hawaii was the state with the most expensive housing, with the typical value of single-family homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range exceeding ******* U.S. dollars. Unsurprisingly, Hawaii also ranked top as the state with the highest cost of living. Meanwhile, a property was the least expensive in West Virginia, where it cost under ******* U.S. dollars to buy the typical single-family home. Single-family home prices increased across most states in the United States between December 2023 and December 2024, except in Louisiana, Florida, and the District of Colombia. According to the Federal Housing Association, house appreciation in 13 states exceeded **** percent in 2023.

West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to **** — well below the national benchmark of 100. Virginia— which had an index value of ***** — was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately ******* U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than ******* U.S. dollars. That makes living expenses in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much pricier. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded *** U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

The median house price in *****, Atherton, California, was about *** million U.S. dollars. This made it the most expensive zip code in the United States in 2023. ***** Sagaponack, N.Y., was the runner-up with a median house price of about *** million U.S. dollars. Of the ** most expensive zip codes in the United States in 2026, six were in California.

Telluride, CO, was the most expensive market for luxury single-family home market in the United States in 2025. In February that year, the median sales price of a single-family home in Telluride was *** million U.S. dollars. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Park City, UT were other locations that fetched prices over **** million U.S. dollars.

The median sales price of the existing privately owned single-family homes in the United States increased slightly in 2024. The most expensive homes were found in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, where the median sales price was *** million U.S. dollars. Hawaii and Delaware experienced the strongest home appreciation.

In the United States, the projected number of single-family housing unit starts in 2026 is estimated to increase. After a peak in 2021, the number of home construction starts decreased two years in a row. However, those figures are expected to pick back up in the next years. Single-family homes are the preferred option for Americans Single-family homes were the most common type of home purchased in 2023 in the United States, making up roughly ** percent of all purchases, showing that demand for single-family units remains strong. That explains why there is usually a far higher number of single-family homes than of other type of homes being built any given year. There were roughly *** multifamily homes whose construction started in 2024. Single family housing units in the United States The median size of a single family housing unit in the United States based on square footage has remained relatively consistent over the past two decades. The cost of housing varies around the United States. In 2023, the most expensive median price of an existing single-family home was on the West coast. However, it was in the Northeast where the median price of a new single-family home was the most expensive.

The Housing Affordability Data System (HADS) is a set of files derived from the 1985 and later national American Housing Survey (AHS) and the 2002 and later Metro AHS. This system categorizes housing units by affordability and households by income, with respect to the Adjusted Median Income, Fair Market Rent (FMR), and poverty income. It also includes housing cost burden for owner and renter households. These files have been the basis for the worst case needs tables since 2001. The data files are available for public use, since they were derived from AHS public use files and the published income limits and FMRs. These dataset give the community of housing analysts the opportunity to use a consistent set of affordability measures. The most recent year HADS is available as a Public Use File (PUF) is 2013. For 2015 and beyond, HADS is only available as an IUF and can no longer be released on a PUF. Those seeking access to more recent data should reach to the listed point of contact.

This map uses a two-color thematic shading to emphasize where areas experience the least to the most affordable housing across the US. This web map is part of the How Affordable is the American Dream story map.

Esri’s Housing Affordability Index (HAI) is a powerful tool to analyze local real estate markets. Esri’s housing affordability index measures the financial ability of a typical household to purchase an existing home in an area. A HAI of 100 represents an area that on average has sufficient household income to qualify for a loan on a home valued at the median home price. An index greater than 100 suggests homes are easily afforded by the average area resident. A HAI less than 100 suggests that homes are less affordable. The housing affordability index is not applicable in areas with no households or in predominantly rental markets . Esri’s home value estimates cover owner-occupied homes only. For a full demographic analysis of US growth refer to Esri's Trending in 2017: The Selectivity of Growth.

The pop-up is configured to show the following 2017 demographics for each County and ZIP Code:

Total Households 2010-17 Annual Pop Change Median Age Percent Owner-Occupied Housing Units Median Household Income Median Home Value Housing Affordability Index Share of Income to Mortgage

In 2022, the annual salary needed to buy a median priced home in the United States was ****** U.S. dollars. However, in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States where housing prices are up to *** or ***** times higher, homebuyers would have to earn more than 100,000 U.S. dollars to afford a home. In San Jose, which was the most expensive metro in 2022, the annual salary needed for a median home was approximately ******* U.S. dollars.

More than one minimum wage job was required to afford two-bedroom housing in all states in the United States in 2024. At mean wage, Hawaii was the most expensive state requiring renters to hold about two full-time jobs at a mean wage to afford two-bedroom housing. The fair market rent value of two bedroom housing in Hawaii ranked fourth most expensive among all states in the United States in 2024.

In 2020, Nantucket, Massachusetts, had the most expensive vacation homes with the median sales price reaching 2.3 million U.S. dollars. Another Massachusetts county, Barnstable, ranked third with the median vacation home selling for 475,000 U.S. dollars.

Despite the pandemic's broader economic disruptions, low interest rates in 2020 initially fueled a housing market boom driven by work-from-home orders and a shift toward residential construction. This surge was a lifeline for builders amid economic turbulence. However, the tide turned in 2022 and 2023 as the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes curbed housing investments, dampening consumer enthusiasm and slowing residential construction activity. Low housing stock and rate cuts late in 2024 led to growth in single-family housing starts, boosting revenue. Single-family home development climbed in more affordable and less densely populated areas in 2024, but new multifamily developments have plummeted. Industry revenue has been climbing at a CAGR of 0.8% over the past five years to total an estimated $233.5 billion in 2025, including an estimated increase of 0.2% in 2025 alone. The initial boom in 2020 and 2021 led to one of the most significant expansions in home-building in recent memory, yet interest rate hikes soon tempered this growth. As smaller-scale developers struggled with escalating construction costs and regulatory hurdles, larger, financially robust companies like DR Horton, Lennar and PulteGroup managed to thrive and expand their operations. These larger companies maximized their market share, leveraging their resources to navigate the challenging economic climate and maintain momentum despite the pressures of rising material costs and labor shortages. These rising material costs and labor shortages have driven up purchase and wage costs, contributing to profit declines over the past five years. Expected interest rate cuts will boost housing developers. Developers will benefit from these favorable conditions, especially those who strategically invest in less densely populated areas to meet the growing appetite for affordable housing. Rate cuts will also provide relief to smaller housing developers more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations. Sustainability also looms on the horizon, with tax incentives and energy-efficient building standards encouraging developers to explore eco-friendly construction. Still, rising material costs and labor shortages will continue to stifle profit growth and increase housing prices. Larger companies will continue to gain market share, strategically developing homes near areas with strong job growth near new large manufacturing facilities. Industry revenue is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 1.4% to total an estimated $250.6 billion through the end of 2030.

This statistic shows the most expensive properties in the United States in 2017, by property taxes. In 2017, the General Motors Building in New York had the second highest property tax bill in the country, amounting to 75.57 million U.S. dollars.

The monthly rent of mobile homes in the U.S. has gradually increased since 2010, peaking in 2024. In the third quarter of that year, the average monthly rent for manufactured homes was *** U.S. dollars. Similarly, apartment rents also soared in 2022, followed by a slight decline in the next two years. Where in the U.S. are manufactured homes most popular? States with a growing economy and large population provide the best opportunities for manufactured housing. In September 2023, Texas had the highest number of mobile homes in the United States. Other states with a high number of mobile homes were North Carolina and Florida. Moreover, Texas also boasted the highest number of manufactured home production plants. Affordability of mobile homes across the U.S. Manufactured homes are considerably less expensive than regular homes, which makes them an attractive option for people looking to purchase property without breaking the bank. Mobile homes are cheaper because manufacturers benefit from economies of scale due to large-scale production, which allows them to lower costs per unit. Additionally, mobile homes lose value faster than traditional homes, which can make them more affordable to purchase initially. The average sales price for a new mobile home has been on the rise, but during the housing boom in 2021, it increased dramatically.

This table contains data on the percent of households paying more than 30% (or 50%) of monthly household income towards housing costs for California, its regions, counties, cities/towns, and census tracts. Data is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Consolidated Planning Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) and the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS). The table is part of a series of indicators in the [Healthy Communities Data and Indicators Project of the Office of Health Equity] Affordable, quality housing is central to health, conferring protection from the environment and supporting family life. Housing costs—typically the largest, single expense in a family's budget—also impact decisions that affect health. As housing consumes larger proportions of household income, families have less income for nutrition, health care, transportation, education, etc. Severe cost burdens may induce poverty—which is associated with developmental and behavioral problems in children and accelerated cognitive and physical decline in adults. Low-income families and minority communities are disproportionately affected by the lack of affordable, quality housing. More information about the data table and a data dictionary can be found in the Attachments.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the most important resource for creating affordable housing in the United States today. The LIHTC database, created by HUD and available to the public since 1997, contains information on 48,672 projects and 3.23 million housing units placed in service since 1987. Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Qualified Census Tracts must have 50 percent of households with incomes below 60 percent of the Area Median Gross Income (AMGI) or have a poverty rate of 25 percent or more. Difficult Development Areas (DDA) are areas with high land, construction and utility costs relative to the area median income and are based on Fair Market Rents, income limits, the 2010 census counts, and 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) data.

Mexico's housing market demonstrates significant regional price variations, with Mexico City emerging as the most expensive area for residential property in 2024. The capital city's average house price of 3.91 million Mexican pesos far exceeds the national average of 1.73 million pesos, highlighting the stark contrast in property values across the country. This disparity reflects broader economic and demographic trends shaping Mexico's real estate landscape. Sustained growth in housing prices The Mexican housing market has experienced substantial growth over the past decade, with home prices more than doubling since 2010. By the third quarter of 2023, the nominal house price index reached 255.54 points, representing a 146 percent increase from the baseline year. Even when adjusted for inflation, the real house price index showed a notable 40 percent growth, underscoring the market's resilience and attractiveness to investors. The mortgage market is dominated by three main player types: Infonavit, Fovissste, and commercial banks including Sofomes. In 2023, Infonavit, a scheme by Mexico's National Housing Fund Institute which provides lending to workers in the formal sector, was responsible for the majority of mortgages granted to individuals. Challenges in mortgage lending Despite the overall growth in housing prices, Mexico's mortgage market has faced challenges in recent years. The number of new mortgage loans granted has declined over the past decade, falling by approximately 200,000 loans between 2008 and 2023. This decrease in lending activity may be attributed to various factors, including economic uncertainties and changing consumer preferences. The state of Mexico, which is home to 13 percent of the country's population, likely plays a significant role in shaping these trends, given its large demographic influence on the national housing market.

SoHo was the most expensive neighborhood in New York City, United States in the third quarter of 2024, with the median sales price of homes at **** million U.S. dollars. Out of the top ten most expensive neighborhoods to buy a home, ***** were in Manhattan. Cobble Hill, DUMBO, and Carroll Gardens were the only Brooklyn neighborhoods in the top ten ranking and had a median home sales price ranging between *** million U.S. dollars and *** million U.S. dollars.

The house price for Ontario is forecast to decrease by eight percent in 2023, followed by a minor increase of one percent in 2024. From roughly 932,000 Canadian dollars, the average house price in Canada's second most expensive province for housing is expected to fall to 861,000 Canadian dollars in 2024. After British Columbia, Ontario is Canada's most expensive province for housing. Ontario Ontario is the most populated province in Canada, located on the eastern-central side of the country. It is an English speaking province. To the south, it borders American states Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Its provincial capital and largest city is Toronto. It is also home to Canada’s national capital, Ottawa. Furthermore, a large part of Ontario’s economy comes from manufacturing, as it is the leading manufacturing province in Canada. The population of Ontario has been steadily increasing since 2000. The population in 2018 was an estimated 14.3 million people. The median total family income in 2016 came to 83,160 Canadian dollars. Ontario housing market The number of housing units sold in Ontario is projected to rise until 2024. Additionally, the average home prices in Ontario have significantly increased since 2007.

Text source: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/hsgfin/addi.html In recognition of the fact that a lack of savings is the most significant barrier to homeownership for most low-income families1, Congress passed the American Dream Downpayment Act of 2003, which established the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI). The ADDI program was designed to provide assistance with downpayments, closing costs, and, if necessary, rehabilitation work done in conjunction with a home purchase. This formula-based program disburses assistance through a network of Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) in all 50 states and affords them significant flexibility in designing homebuyer programs to meet the needs of their communities. Established as part of the HOME program,2 ADDI is a prime example of direct federal assistance to promote low-income homeownership. In recent years there have been growing concerns that many new low-income homeowners have had difficulty maintaining homeownership.3 To address these concerns in the context of the ADDI program, the Fiscal Year 2006 U.S. Senate Report on the Transportation, Treasury and HUD Appropriations Bill directed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to report on the foreclosure and delinquency rate of households who received downpayment assistance through ADDI.4 This report has been developed in response to this congressional mandate. Due to the limited program history of ADDI, and since HOME-assisted homebuyers are quite similar to those assisted by the ADDI, this study jointly estimates annual foreclosure and delinquency rates for both HOME- and ADDI-assisted borrowers who purchased homes during the period from 2001 through 2005.5 While all HOME/ADDI-assisted borrowers were included in the analysis, in order to have the results be representative of the ADDI program, the sample of PJs was limited to those that were eligible for an allocation of ADDI funds in 2004, the year in which the largest number of PJs were eligible. The primary objective of the study, which addresses the congressional inquiry, is to provide an estimate of the foreclosure and delinquency rates among HOME/ADDI-assisted homebuyers. HUD was also interested in an analysis of the reasons behind these outcomes. Thus, a secondary objective of this study is to analyze the factors associated with variations in delinquency and default rates. 1 See, for example, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Barriers to Minority Homeownership, July 17, 2002, and Herbert et al., Homeownership Gaps Among Low-Income and Minority Borrowers and Neighborhoods, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, March 2005. 2 Created under Title II of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, the HOME program is designed to provide affordable housing to low-income households, expand the capacity of nonprofit housing providers, and strengthen the ability of state and local governments to develop and implement affordable housing strate-gies tailored to local needs and priorities. 3 See, for example, Dean Baker, "Who's Dreaming?: Homeownership Among Low-Income Families," Center for Eco-nomic and Policy Research, Washington, DC, January 2005. 4 Throughout our discussion the terms "default" and "foreclosure" are used to refer to the same outcome where homeowners lose their home in foreclosure. 5 Foreclosure and delinquency rates for 2000 are not included here as the data was not consistent enough to produce valid estimations. This report is based in part on surveys of participating jurisdictions.