Affordability by State Calculator
Enter your household income and see all 50 states ranked by affordability. Find where you can afford the median home, how property taxes affect buying power, and which states make sense for remote workers.
Assumes 20% down, 30-year mortgage at 7.0%, 28% front-end DTI limit (includes P&I + property tax).
All 50 states ranked by affordability ratio (your max affordable home ÷ median home price). Green = you can afford median, Red = you cannot.
| # | State | Median Price | Your Max Home | Ratio | Gap / Surplus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia (WV) | $155,000 | $345,082 | 2.23x | +$190,082 |
| 2 | Mississippi (MS) | $185,000 | $339,181 | 1.83x | +$154,181 |
| 3 | Louisiana (LA) | $199,000 | $344,085 | 1.73x | +$145,085 |
| 4 | Arkansas (AR) | $199,000 | $342,106 | 1.72x | +$143,106 |
| 5 | Alabama (AL) | $218,000 | $352,232 | 1.62x | +$134,232 |
| 6 | Oklahoma (OK) | $205,000 | $328,870 | 1.60x | +$123,870 |
| 7 | Kentucky (KY) | $213,000 | $331,158 | 1.55x | +$118,158 |
| 8 | Kansas (KS) | $220,000 | $308,414 | 1.40x | +$88,414 |
| 9 | Iowa (IA) | $218,000 | $304,468 | 1.40x | +$86,468 |
| 10 | Indiana (IN) | $242,000 | $330,698 | 1.37x | +$88,698 |
| 11 | Missouri (MO) | $240,000 | $326,166 | 1.36x | +$86,166 |
| 12 | Ohio (OH) | $228,000 | $299,488 | 1.31x | +$71,488 |
| 13 | North Dakota (ND) | $248,000 | $324,830 | 1.31x | +$76,830 |
| 14 | Michigan (MI) | $245,000 | $306,428 | 1.25x | +$61,428 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $260,000 | $300,623 | 1.16x | +$40,623 |
| 16 | South Carolina (SC) | $299,000 | $344,085 | 1.15x | +$45,085 |
| 17 | Nebraska (NE) | $260,000 | $296,873 | 1.14x | +$36,873 |
| 18 | New Mexico (NM) | $300,000 | $337,258 | 1.12x | +$37,258 |
| 19 | Wisconsin (WI) | $280,000 | $297,615 | 1.06x | +$17,615 |
| 20 | Illinois (IL) | $267,000 | $281,427 | 1.05x | +$14,427 |
| 21 | Wyoming (WY) | $330,000 | $343,093 | 1.04x | +$13,093 |
| 22 | North Carolina (NC) | $325,000 | $332,546 | 1.02x | +$7,546 |
| 23 | South Dakota (SD) | $310,000 | $316,199 | 1.02x | +$6,199 |
| 24 | Georgia (GA) | $325,000 | $329,781 | 1.01x | +$4,781 |
| 25 | Tennessee (TN) | $340,000 | $342,599 | 1.01x | +$2,599 |
| 26 | Delaware (DE) | $342,000 | $344,085 | 1.01x | +$2,085 |
| 27 | Minnesota (MN) | $330,000 | $320,026 | 0.97x | -$9,974 |
| 28 | Alaska (AK) | $336,000 | $320,457 | 0.95x | -$15,543 |
| 29 | Texas (TX) | $330,000 | $297,988 | 0.90x | -$32,012 |
| 30 | Virginia (VA) | $385,000 | $333,478 | 0.87x | -$51,522 |
| 31 | Maine (ME) | $370,000 | $313,698 | 0.85x | -$56,302 |
| 32 | Nevada (NV) | $415,000 | $346,590 | 0.84x | -$68,410 |
| 33 | Arizona (AZ) | $415,000 | $345,082 | 0.83x | -$69,918 |
| 34 | Florida (FL) | $413,000 | $331,158 | 0.80x | -$81,842 |
| 35 | Vermont (VT) | $370,000 | $293,215 | 0.79x | -$76,785 |
| 36 | Idaho (ID) | $436,000 | $341,615 | 0.78x | -$94,385 |
| 37 | Maryland (MD) | $415,000 | $322,629 | 0.78x | -$92,371 |
| 38 | Connecticut (CT) | $385,000 | $293,215 | 0.76x | -$91,785 |
| 39 | Oregon (OR) | $440,000 | $330,239 | 0.75x | -$109,761 |
| 40 | Montana (MT) | $450,000 | $333,946 | 0.74x | -$116,054 |
| 41 | New York (NY) | $420,000 | $305,641 | 0.73x | -$114,359 |
| 42 | Rhode Island (RI) | $430,000 | $305,641 | 0.71x | -$124,359 |
| 43 | Utah (UT) | $500,000 | $344,583 | 0.69x | -$155,417 |
| 44 | New Hampshire (NH) | $430,000 | $288,593 | 0.67x | -$141,407 |
| 45 | Colorado (CO) | $535,000 | $346,086 | 0.65x | -$188,914 |
| 46 | Washington (WA) | $570,000 | $327,964 | 0.58x | -$242,036 |
| 47 | New Jersey (NJ) | $490,000 | $276,844 | 0.56x | -$213,156 |
| 48 | Massachusetts (MA) | $600,000 | $315,780 | 0.53x | -$284,220 |
| 49 | Hawaii (HI) | $835,000 | $355,388 | 0.43x | -$479,612 |
| 50 | California (CA) | $793,000 | $335,358 | 0.42x | -$457,642 |
Enter a big-city salary and see how far it goes in affordable states — the remote work purchasing power multiplier.
Top 10 States for Remote Workers at $120,000/year
| State | Median Price | Max Affordable | Surplus | Property Tax | Income Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. West Virginia | $155,000 | $487,175 | +$332,175 | 0.51% | 6.5% |
| 2. Mississippi | $185,000 | $478,844 | +$293,844 | 0.63% | 5% |
| 3. Louisiana | $199,000 | $485,766 | +$286,766 | 0.53% | 4.25% |
| 4. Arkansas | $199,000 | $482,973 | +$283,973 | 0.57% | 4.4% |
| 5. Alabama | $218,000 | $497,269 | +$279,269 | 0.37% | 5% |
| 6. Oklahoma | $205,000 | $464,287 | +$259,287 | 0.85% | 4.75% |
| 7. Kentucky | $213,000 | $467,517 | +$254,517 | 0.80% | 4.5% |
| 8. Kansas | $220,000 | $435,408 | +$215,408 | 1.33% | 5.7% |
| 9. Iowa | $218,000 | $429,838 | +$211,838 | 1.43% | 6% |
| 10. Indiana | $242,000 | $466,867 | +$224,867 | 0.81% | 3.15% |
How This Affordability by State Calculator Works
Enter your annual household income and this calculator applies the standard 28% front-end DTI rule across all 50 states, factoring in each state's actual median home price and property tax rate to determine your maximum affordable home in every state:
- 28% Front-End DTI: Your total housing payment (principal, interest, and property taxes) should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income. This is the standard mortgage qualification benchmark used by Fannie Mae and most lenders.
- 20% Down Payment Assumed: Results assume a 20% down payment to avoid PMI, which simplifies comparisons across states.
- 7.0% Mortgage Rate: A consistent rate is applied to all states for fair comparison. Your actual rate may vary.
- Property Tax Included: Each state's actual average property tax rate is built into the calculation, which significantly affects buying power in high-tax states like New Jersey (2.21%) and Illinois (2.07%).
Affordability Formula
This payment covers: P&I + Property Tax
Max Affordable Home = Max Monthly Payment ÷ (P&I Factor + Tax Factor)
Affordability Ratio = Max Affordable Home ÷ Median Home Price
Ratio ≥ 1.0 = You can afford the median home in that state
A ratio of 1.5x means you can afford a home 50% more expensive than the state median — you have significant buying power there. A ratio of 0.6x means you can only afford 60% of the median price — a significant affordability gap.
Most and Least Affordable States
At the national median household income of approximately $75,000, the most affordable states are in the Midwest and South where median home prices remain below $250,000:
| Category | States | Median Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Most Affordable | WV, MS, AR, AL, LA, OK, KY, IN, MO, IA | $155,000–$242,000 |
| Moderate Affordability | OH, MI, PA, KS, NE, ND, SD, TN, NM, SC | $218,000–$340,000 |
| Least Affordable | HI, CA, MA, WA, CO, UT, NY, NJ, OR | $415,000–$835,000 |
Hawaii and California are consistently the least affordable states for middle-income buyers. West Virginia and Mississippi consistently rank as the most affordable, though they also carry different economic and employment considerations.
Property Tax: The Hidden Affordability Factor
Property taxes dramatically affect buying power, yet are often overlooked in affordability comparisons. At a $400,000 home, the annual property tax difference between states is enormous:
| New Jersey (2.21%) | $8,840/year = $737/month |
| Illinois (2.07%) | $8,280/year = $690/month |
| New Hampshire (1.86%) | $7,440/year = $620/month |
| Texas (1.60%) | $6,400/year = $533/month |
| Florida (0.80%) | $3,200/year = $267/month |
| Nevada (0.48%) | $1,920/year = $160/month |
| Hawaii (0.31%) | $1,240/year = $103/month |
The difference between New Jersey and Hawaii is $635/month in property taxes alone on the same $400,000 home — that's a massive swing in buying power.
The Remote Work Opportunity
Remote work fundamentally changes the affordability equation. A software engineer earning $130,000 in San Francisco faces a median home price of $1.2M+ with an affordability ratio well under 0.5x. The same salary applied in Tennessee, Ohio, or Indiana yields an affordability ratio above 2.0x — you can afford twice the median home in those states.
Key remote work migration patterns as of 2026:
- Gaining: Texas, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Idaho
- Losing: California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut
States gaining population from remote workers see sustained home price appreciation. States losing population may see price softening — which is relevant to both affordability and future equity growth.