Since 2017, the salary needed to buy a home in America has more than doubled.

Fueled by rising unaffordability and high mortgage rates, home buyers need to shell out $2,500 on average for monthly payments. Meanwhile, this soars past $5,000 in coastal cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, shows the salary you need to afford a home in 50 U.S. cities, based on data from Home Sweet Home.

What is the Salary Needed to Buy a Home in 2025?

Here is the income it takes to afford a median-priced home in 2025 across major cities:

Note: These calculations determine the salary needed to afford the principal, interest, taxes, and insurance payments on a median-priced home in the corresponding metro area as of Q1 2025. Figures reflect homes with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of 6.83% and a 20% down payment.

Metro AreaSalary NeededMedian Home PriceMonthly Payment

San Jose$501,760$2,020,000$11,708

San Francisco$338,427$1,320,000$7,897

San Diego$257,190$1,036,500$6,001

Los Angeles$218,483$862,600$5,098

New York City$202,150$725,300$4,717

Seattle$198,233$772,900$4,625

Boston$194,593$734,000$4,541

Washington, D.C.$166,814$630,900$3,892

Miami$165,818$643,900$3,869

Denver$161,935$647,800$3,778

Riverside/San Bernardino$155,109$609,200$3,619

Portland$151,963$591,200$3,546

Sacramento$144,791$550,000$3,378

Salt Lake City$138,012$556,500$3,220

Austin$136,845$465,100$3,193

Providence$135,721$492,700$3,167

Phoenix$119,546$487,900$2,789

Las Vegas$119,242$486,400$2,782

Orlando$117,731$445,000$2,747

Hartford$113,491$378,300$2,648

Raleigh$113,466$443,900$2,648

Dallas$113,069$377,900$2,638

Richmond$112,951$446,300$2,636

Chicago$110,038$371,500$2,568

National$108,486$402,300$2,531

Baltimore$106,969$393,000$2,496

Tampa$106,903$400,000$2,494

Minneapolis$106,442$388,100$2,484

Nashville$105,831$417,600$2,469

Milwaukee$105,477$388,100$2,461

Philadelphia$105,118$363,000$2,453

Jacksonville$104,718$390,000$2,443

Charlotte$104,324$411,200$2,434

Houston$100,142$337,400$2,337

Atlanta$98,232$369,400$2,292

Virginia Beach$92,269$350,200$2,153

San Antonio$90,393$300,000$2,109

Columbus$89,131$321,800$2,080

Kansas City$88,913$328,700$2,075

Indianapolis$81,918$316,200$1,911

Birmingham$80,084$312,800$1,869

Cincinnati$79,540$293,900$1,856

New Orleans$78,572$291,000$1,833

Buffalo$76,156$245,900$1,777

Louisville$73,844$278,100$1,723

St Louis$73,581$262,100$1,717

Memphis$73,302$276,100$1,710

Oklahoma City$73,052$258,800$1,705

Detroit$72,296$254,200$1,687

Pittsburgh$64,071$225,400$1,495

Cleveland$63,611$213,200$1,484

Known for its competitive housing market, San Jose ranks at the top, where buyers need to earn $501,760 to buy a home.

Driven by limited supply and high demand from tech workers, a median-priced home is over $2 million. Notably, in April 2025, 71% of listings sold above their asking price. Sitting in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose is home to more than 6,600 tech companies.

Similarly, the AI boom is driving overbidding and sales volumes in San Francisco. In the first quarter of 2024, the median home price stood at $1.3 million, requiring a salary of $338,427 to afford a home—more than three times the national average.

Meanwhile, Miami falls in ninth place as home prices have surged given migration inflows spurred by the pandemic. Today, buying a home in Miami requires a salary of $165,818. For perspective, this jumped from about $70,000 since Q1 2017.

By contrast, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit offer the greatest affordability, where homes cost at least a third less than the national average and require under $73,000 in income to purchase.

To learn more about this topic from an affordability perspective, check out this graphic on the most affordable cities to buy a home.