In all but four of the 50 largest cities in the U.S, the average price for a starter home is unaffordable, a recent study found. California, which has eight cities on the list, failed to crack the top 35.
Real estate site Point2Homes.com looked at the 50 largest cities and calculated whether or not a renter could, on average, comfortably afford the median starter home. Nationally, the study found that only four major U.S. cities fit the criteria after mortgage rates jumped to 7 percent in October: Detroit, Tulsa, Memphis and Oklahoma City.
Of the California cities included in the study, Sacramento and Fresno had the most affordable starter homes, but the average income in both cities was just 48 percent of what’s required. The next most affordable, San Francisco, lands in the 43rd spot (40% of income required), followed by San Diego (40%), San Jose (37%), Oakland (37%), Long Beach (36%) and Los Angeles (30%).
| City | Median Starter Home Price in Sept. | Starter Home Down Payment (20%) | Loan Amount | Yearly Payment (7% rate) | Yearly Income Required (7%) | Median Income (Renter Household) |
| Sacramento | $392,158 | $78,432 | $313,726 | $29,864 | $99,547 | $47,524 |
| Fresno | $276,887 | $55,377 | $221,510 | $21,635 | $72,117 | $34,357 |
| San Francisco | $1,048,498 | $209,700 | $838,798 | $75,357 | $251,190 | $100,715 |
| San Diego | $649,996 | $129,999 | $519,997 | $47,940 | $159,799 | $63,390 |
| San Jose | $933,402 | $186,680 | $746,722 | $68,016 | $226,720 | $84,730 |
| Oakland | $622,951 | $124,590 | $498,361 | $46,264 | $154,213 | $57,431 |
| Long Beach | $562,462 | $112,492 | $449,970 | $41,597 | $138,658 | $50,566 |
| Los Angeles | $682,002 | $136,400 | $545,602 | $50,081 | $166,937 | $49,568 |
For the breakdown of all 50 cities and the full methodology see the report on the Point2Homes site.
Higher mortgage rates reduce homebuyers’ purchasing power, resulting in fewer people being able to afford to buy a home. Consider, a buyer who got a 3% rate on a 30-year mortgage to buy a $300,000 home last year would only be able to borrow $190,000 today for the same monthly payment.
“This is why the buyers have essentially been pushed out of the market,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Reator’s.
Mortgage rates have risen sharply along with the 10-year Treasury yield, which has been climbing amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep hiking interest rates in its bid to bring down inflation. The 10-year yield reached its highest level since June 2008 last week.
In September, U.S. home sales fell 1.5% from the month before and 23.8% from the torrid pace of the previous year, according to the NAR. First-time buyers made up 29% of sales for the second month in a row.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.