{"id":16481,"date":"2026-05-26T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/?p=16481"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:23:25","slug":"cheapest-real-estate-in-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/cheapest-real-estate-in-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. Cities with the Most Affordable Homes by Price per Square Foot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>House prices have risen faster than incomes and \u201cwould-be buyers need to save more and for longer to afford a downpayment,\u201d according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jchs.harvard.edu\/blog\/home-prices-surge-five-times-median-income-nearing-historic-highs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But even for those who are financed and ready to go, the amount of home you get for your money depends on local market rates. For example, in our latest study, NetCredit found that the average price per square foot in Jackson, MS ($88.58), is around half that of Owensboro, KY ($174.89) \u2014 both cities offering the least expensive homes per square foot in their respective states.<\/p>\n<p>To help you decide where to shop for your new home, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/\">online personal lender NetCredit<\/a> found the average cost per square foot of homes in America\u2019s biggest cities and calculated the average home size in every state and major city. We found that you could get a lot more square footage per dollar even by switching cities within the same state.<\/p>\n<h2>What we did<\/h2>\n<p>We analyzed over 250,000 listings on Zillow across 430 cities with populations over 100,000 and the top five most populous cities by state. Then, we retrieved all property listings in these cities with at least one bathroom and one bedroom, listed as a house, townhouse, condo\/co-op or apartment. Excluding listings below $50K and above $5M, we calculated the average price per square foot of all properties in each city to assess their affordability.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Findings: Which U.S. cities have the most affordable homes per square foot?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The average price per square foot for homes listed in <strong>Jackson<\/strong>, MS, is <strong>$88.58<\/strong> \u2014 the least expensive of any major U.S. city.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bakersfield<\/strong> is the <strong>California<\/strong> city with the lowest listing average home price per square foot (<strong>$240.21<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wyoming<\/strong> has the largest average home size (<strong>2,627 sq. ft.<\/strong>), and <strong>Pennsylvania<\/strong> has the smallest (<strong>1,576 sq. ft.<\/strong>) according to listings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Buying a house is least expensive per square foot in Jackson, MS<\/h2>\n<p>First, we looked at every U.S. city with a population of over 100,000 residents and found the average price per square meter for each city\u2019s listings on Zillow, identifying the 20 most affordable cities.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/01_The-Cities-With-the-Most-Affordable-Homes-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16482 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/01_The-Cities-With-the-Most-Affordable-Homes-e1779290804888.png\" alt=\"Infographic showing cities with the most affordable homes\" width=\"700\" height=\"875\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We found two large cities with square footage at under $100: Jackson, MS ($88.58) and Peoria, Ill. ($95.59). By way of comparison, this is under one-fifth of the cost in major cities like Washington, DC ($509.65), and one-tenth of that in Boston, MS ($1,013.83). The national average is $290.45 per square foot.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/02_The-City-With-the-Most-Affordable-Homes-in-Every-State-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16484 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/02_The-City-With-the-Most-Affordable-Homes-in-Every-State-e1779290896161.png\" alt=\"U.S. Map showing the city with the most affordable homes in every state\" width=\"700\" height=\"919\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We also identified the city with the least expensive homes (per square foot) in every state. In New York, it\u2019s Syracuse, where the average home costs just $137.95 per square foot. By comparison, the state\u2019s most expensive properties by this metric are in New York City, where the average is $758.34. per square foot.<\/p>\n<h2>Wyoming homes listings are largest in size<\/h2>\n<p>Next, we used Zillow listings to find the average size of the properties offered for sale in every state and 70 major U.S. cities.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/03_The-Avg-Size-of-Homes-by-State-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16486 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/03_The-Avg-Size-of-Homes-by-State-e1779290989334.png\" alt=\"Infographic showing the average size of homes by state\" width=\"700\" height=\"3139\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The difference is significant, with the average Wyoming property offering 1.67 times as much space as the average listing in Pennsylvania. In Wyoming, the average is 2,627 sq. ft. and $195 per sq. ft., while Pennsylvania properties average 1,576 sq. ft. and $204 per sq. ft.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/04_The-Avg-Size-of-Homes-in-Major-Cities-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16488 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/04_The-Avg-Size-of-Homes-in-Major-Cities-e1779291060527.png\" alt=\"Infographic showing the average size of homes in major cities \" width=\"700\" height=\"1220\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Property sizes vary even more across major cities. Of these 70 major cities, we found the one with the biggest average property to be Cheyenne, WY (2,634 square feet), where homes are 2.12 times the size of those in Jersey City, NJ (1,243 sq. ft.), the major U.S. city with the smallest average home.<\/p>\n<h2>Explore the average size and price per square foot of every large U.S. city<\/h2>\n<p>Finally, we gathered all our data on the average size and price per square foot of homes in every state and over 400 large American cities.<\/p>\n<p>You can use the search and sort functions in the table below to find and compare sizes and prices in the locations of your choice.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width:100%;margin:auto;\"><iframe class=\"neomam-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.neomam.com\/the-us-cities-with-the-most-affordable-homes-per-square-foot\/\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"display:block;margin:auto;max-width:100%;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>We found three large cities where the average home costs over $1,000 per square foot: Santa Clara ($1,000 per sq. ft.) and Sunnyvale ($1,046) in California and Boston, MA ($1,014).<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the least expensive are under $100 per square foot: Jackson, MS ($89 per sq. ft.), and Peoria,IL ($96). The prices even out a little at the state level, with Michigan offering the least expensive floor space ($129 per sq. ft) and Hawaii ($850) and Massachusetts ($732) the most expensive. Even compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/average-cost-of-houses-around-the-world\/\">housing prices internationally<\/a>, some of these locations can look pretty attractive.<\/p>\n<h2>Things to consider when comparing the price per square foot of properties<\/h2>\n<p>Comparing the price per square foot of a home you\u2019re interested in to other properties nearby can be a helpful indicator of how realistically your chosen property is priced. But multiple factors contribute to this figure, and there are other aspects to bear in mind when considering the value and suitability of a particular home.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is it a fixer-upper?<\/strong> The homes that appear to offer the best value per square foot often require work to make them inhabitable. Consider how the size of each property will contribute to the costs of renovating, decorating and furnishing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What will it cost to heat and maintain?<\/strong> A bigger house may have a lower price per square foot, but it could be a false economy if it needs lots of work or does not have good energy efficiency, leading to increases in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/how-to-lower-monthly-expenses\/\">monthly expenses<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Does the layout work for you?<\/strong> If the average price per square foot in your area of choice is high, it may be worth opting for a smaller property \u2014 but only if the layout makes good use of the available space. Has it been thoughtfully designed? Is there sufficient privacy? Or is precious square footage wasted on hallways or unusable spaces?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Does the location fit?<\/strong> Research the location for schools, crime, transport and other contributing factors, and ensure the prices match up. How is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/cost-of-living-calculator\/\">local cost of living<\/a>?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is it too good to be true?<\/strong> If a property seems to offer a ludicrous amount of space for the money, there may be hidden factors dragging down its price. Have the building thoroughly surveyed for potential faults. Is it ready to move into right away \u2014 and will it be possible to sell it at a good price when you move on?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is it in your budget?<\/strong> While some areas offer more affordable housing per square foot than others, it\u2019s still important to ensure that the house you\u2019re considering is in your budget. Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/how-much-house-can-i-afford\/\">home affordability calculator<\/a> to estimate your monthly housing costs and how they might contribute to your overall expenses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Methodology<\/h2>\n<p>To discover the cities with the most affordable homes per square foot, we analyzed over 250,000 listings on Zillow across 430 cities, including all those with a population above 100,000 and the top five most populous cities by state.<\/p>\n<p>Then, we used Zillow\u2019s filters to retrieve all property listings with at least one bathroom and one bedroom listed as a House, Townhouse, Condo\/Co-op or Apartment. We removed listings below $50K and above $5M to avoid outliers.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we calculated the average price per square foot of all properties in each city to assess their affordability. This is an independent study, and Zillow is used strictly as a data source, not as an affiliate, partner, or endorser of NetCredit or this content.<\/p>\n<p>Data is correct as of February 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House prices have risen faster than incomes and \u201cwould-be buyers need to save more and for longer to afford a &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":16490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-save"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","pp_post_mime_type":"","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Most Affordable Real Estate in the U.S.: Top Cities Ranked<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jackson, MS, has the lowest average home price per square foot. Other top affordable cities include Peoria, IL, and Parkersburg, WV.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/cheapest-real-estate-in-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Most Affordable Real Estate in the U.S.: Top Cities Ranked\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jackson, MS, has the lowest average home price per square foot. Other top affordable cities include Peoria, IL, and Parkersburg, WV.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/cheapest-real-estate-in-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NetCredit Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T14:00:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T14:23:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Header_Cities-With-the-Most-Affordable-Homes.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"819\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matt Pelkey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matt Pelkey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Most Affordable Real Estate in the U.S.: Top Cities Ranked","description":"Jackson, MS, has the lowest average home price per square foot. 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