The Best U.S. Cities for Homeowners (2024)

Before moving to a new city, knowing how the cost of living, real estate trends, and inflation will impact your financial health is important. Such factors can greatly affect your quality of life – even if you love the attractions and neighbors in your new area. To help potential homebuyers understand the benefits or drawbacks of moving to various cities, we analyzed the 192 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

Our study analyzed each city based on three factors: cost of living, real estate market trends, and quality of life. We then assessed those characteristics to grade each city on a scale of one to 100, with 100 being the best for homeowners.

We used several indicators weighted according to their relevance to homebuyers to define the rating scale for each city’s key characteristics. To calculate a city’s cost of living, we analyzed gas prices, monthly housing costs, property taxes, and food prices. For real estate trends, we looked at average home value, average days on the market, and square footage. Lastly, we accounted for quality of life indicators like crime rates, education, and healthcare quality.

After establishing weighted scores for each city’s three key factors – cost of living, real estate trends, and quality of life – we compiled those scores to find the overall homeowner ranking.

Main Findings

Based on our data, the best and worst cities for homeowners are as follows.

Best 5 Cities for Homeowners

Provo, UT (84.9)
Boulder, CO (76.7)
Fort Collins, CO (71.7)
Boise City, ID (71.7)
Ogden, UT (71.5)

Worst 5 Cities for Homeowners

Vallejo, CA (28.6)
Stockton, CA (29.5)
Bakersfield, CA (36.5)
Merced, CA (37.5)
Birmingham, AL (38.3)

Top-ranked Cities for Homeowners

The table below shows the top 25 U.S. cities for homeowners. We’ve included each city’s overall ranking based on a culmination of its weighted ranking factors. You can see how each place ranked individually for cost, real estate, and quality of life out of the 192 metropolitan areas in our dataset.

Overall Rank	City	Overall Score	Cost Rank	Real Estate Rank	Quality of Life Rank
1	Provo, UT	84.9	68	1	4
2	Boulder, CO	76.7	153	9	2
3	Fort Collins, CO	71.7	152	14	8
4	Boise City, ID	71.7	130	3	21
5	Ogden, UT	71.5	59	16	39
6	Naples, FL	69.9	123	103	1
7	Austin, TX	69.0	136	12	19
8	Ann Arbor, MI	68.7	124	96	3
9	Huntsville, AL	67.4	18	42	47
10	Bridgeport, CT	67.3	158	28	7
11	Salt Lake City, UT	67.2	122	7	63
12	Raleigh, NC	66.7	94	68	11
13	Nashville, TN	66.1	102	30	28
14	Spokane, WA	65.8	138	8	53
15	Seattle, WA	65.2	177	20	5
16	Lincoln, NE	65.1	35	90	33
17	Little Rock, AR	64.4	25	115	30
18	Cincinnati, OH	64.4	6	117	50
19	San Jose, CA	64.3	187	4	6
20	Winston-Salem, NC	63.9	7	118	59
21	Bristol, TN	63.7	1	153	84
22	Madison, WI	63.6	121	91	9
23	Green Bay, WI	63.4	14	112	51
24	Asheville, NC	63.4	65	98	20
25	Olympia, WA	63.4	166	18	16

Provo, UT, comes in at No. 1 as the best city for homeowners. According to our rating scale, Provo scores 84.9 out of 100 in terms of affordability, real estate attractiveness, and overall quality of life. Provo stands out against other cities regarding property tax, food prices, and average home square footage. The city also scored 100 for healthcare quality, which contributes significantly to its high quality of life ranking.

In addition to its high overall ranking, Provo takes the No. 1 spot for real estate attractiveness. Provo homes are valued at nearly $150K more than the national average of $357,810 and have a higher average square footage than other U.S. cities. This means that despite the higher home prices, homeowners could get more space for their buck in Provo.

While Provo ranks highly for quality of life and real estate market trends, it’s not the best city for affordability. Out of the top 25 best cities for homeowners, Bristol, TN, scored the No. 1 spot for cost of living. Bristol has cheaper gas prices, food costs, property taxes, and monthly housing costs than any other city in our study. However, Bristol ranks low for real estate attractiveness. Homes in this city are valued at approximately $130K less than the national average.

Naples, FL, could be your perfect destination if you’re more concerned about quality of life than real estate trends and cost of living. Naples scored sixth overall and first for quality of life with low crime rates, decent healthcare quality, and outstanding arts and entertainment per capita.

Bottom-ranked Cities for Homeowners

Below are the rankings for the bottom 25 cities in our dataset. Among the 192 metropolitan areas we studied, these cities ranked the lowest overall for cost of living, real estate attractiveness, and quality of life.

Overall Rank	City	Overall Score	Cost Rank	Real Estate Rank	Quality of Life Rank
168	Syracuse, NY	45.1	56	185	135
169	Fresno, CA	45.0	171	50	155
170	Erie, PA	44.8	42	189	109
171	New York, NY	44.5	180	89	96
172	Atlantic City, NJ	44.5	148	151	143
173	Wichita, KS	44.0	57	169	177
174	Flint, MI	43.9	47	164	185
175	Scranton, PA	43.2	50	166	183
176	Mobile, AL	43.0	81	160	180
177	Corpus Christi, TX	42.5	110	146	179
178	Shreveport, LA	41.5	32	184	176
179	Visalia, CA	41.3	170	144	138
180	Modesto, CA	41.2	174	37	175
181	Memphis, TN	41.0	105	67	191
182	Davenport, IA	40.9	12	192	159
183	Montgomery, AL	40.6	74	135	189
184	Charleston, WV	40.4	58	191	131
185	Riverside, CA	40.3	181	26	178
186	Rockford, IL	39.1	30	187	181
187	Peoria, IL	39.0	113	190	90
188	Birmingham, AL	38.3	54	123	192
189	Merced, CA	37.5	172	57	186
190	Bakersfield, CA	36.5	173	84	182
191	Stockton, CA	29.5	178	104	190
192	Vallejo, CA	28.6	189	92	187

Vallejo, CA, ranks as the worst U.S. city for homeowners because of several factors. The city scored zero out of 100 for the monthly housing cost-to-income ratio. Additionally, Vallejo’s average home value is similar to the national average, despite its cost of living being higher than the national average. When put up against our key quality of life indicators, Vallejo also ranked poorly in terms of education quality and entertainment features.

Despite ranking 185 out of the 192 metros we studied, Riverside, CA, ranked 26th overall for our real estate indicator. Riverside scored very low for cost of living and quality of life but has relatively high real estate attractiveness due to a low home value-to-income ratio, low real estate vacancy rates, and a higher-than-average home value.

On the other hand, Davenport, IA, scored last for real estate attractiveness but 12th for cost of living. According to our data, Davenport maintains the lowest gas prices, food costs, and cost of living percentage out of any of the 25 bottom-ranked cities. If you’re eager to move to Davenport for those lower prices, remember that the area does have low home values, smaller houses, and poor home value-to-income ratios.

Peoria, IL, ranks 90th for the best quality of life, making it the highest quality of life contender of our bottom-ranked cities. Peoria has decent healthcare quality and low crime rates, contributing to its spot in the top 100 metros for quality of life. However, the city ranks 113th and 190th for cost of living and real estate, respectively, so it’s likely not the best place to live for homeowners on a budget.

Full Data

Now that we’ve discussed the best and worst cities for homeownership, let’s dive into the full dataset. Below you’ll find rankings for all 192 metropolitan areas in our study.

Overall Rank	City	Overall Score	Cost Rank	Real Estate Rank	Quality of Life Rank
1	Provo, UT	84.9	68	1	4
2	Boulder, CO	76.7	153	9	2
3	Fort Collins, CO	71.7	152	14	8
4	Boise City, ID	71.7	130	3	21
5	Ogden, UT	71.5	59	16	39
6	Naples, FL	69.9	123	103	1
7	Austin, TX	69.0	136	12	19
8	Ann Arbor, MI	68.7	124	96	3
9	Huntsville, AL	67.4	18	42	47
10	Bridgeport, CT	67.3	158	28	7
11	Salt Lake City, UT	67.2	122	7	63
12	Raleigh, NC	66.7	94	68	11
13	Nashville, TN	66.1	102	30	28
14	Spokane, WA	65.8	138	8	53
15	Seattle, WA	65.2	177	20	5
16	Lincoln, NE	65.1	35	90	33
17	Little Rock, AR	64.4	25	115	30
18	Cincinnati, OH	64.4	6	117	50
19	San Jose, CA	64.3	187	4	6
20	Winston-Salem, NC	63.9	7	118	59
21	Bristol, TN	63.7	1	153	84
22	Madison, WI	63.6	121	91	9
23	Green Bay, WI	63.4	14	112	51
24	Asheville, NC	63.4	65	98	20
25	Olympia, WA	63.4	166	18	16
26	Kennewick, WA	63.1	125	21	73
27	Eugene, OR	62.4	159	24	34
28	Charleston, SC	62.1	108	35	55
29	Fayetteville, AR	62.0	22	113	61
30	Destin, FL	61.9	89	48	57
31	Chattanooga, TN	61.6	33	70	98
32	Durham, NC	61.6	93	55	54
33	North Port, FL	61.6	99	45	58
34	Grand Rapids, MI	61.4	63	154	14
35	Wilmington, NC	61.1	107	44	56
36	Knoxville, TN	61.0	61	76	69
37	Kansas City, MO	60.8	70	114	37
38	Myrtle Beach, SC	60.6	79	95	42
39	College Station, TX	60.6	118	79	29
40	Colorado Springs, CO	60.4	157	15	91
41	Roanoke, VA	60.2	28	136	60
42	Portland, ME	60.0	137	61	31
43	Amarillo, TX	59.9	40	72	118
44	Richmond, VA	59.8	116	83	36
45	Waco, TX	59.5	44	87	104
46	Salisbury, MD	59.3	11	99	136
47	Greeley, CO	59.3	140	11	148
48	Sioux Falls, SD	59.3	15	126	101
49	Gainesville, FL	59.2	96	111	41
50	Atlanta, GA	59.1	127	34	72
51	Fargo, ND	59.0	31	116	92
52	Omaha, NE	59.0	73	119	48
53	Longview, TX	58.6	16	93	140
54	Washington, DC	58.6	162	78	12
55	Dayton, OH	58.6	9	149	97
56	Miami, FL	58.5	168	10	81
57	Pensacola, FL	58.4	82	62	114
58	St. Louis, MO	58.4	69	171	18
59	Lubbock, TX	58.4	77	69	102
60	Salem, OR	58.4	147	25	87
61	Lynchburg, VA	58.3	29	108	121
62	Lakeland, FL	58.3	98	38	120
63	Port St. Lucie, FL	58.1	131	36	77
64	Santa Maria, CA	58.0	176	2	94
65	Bremerton, WA	57.9	160	23	80
66	Fort Wayne, IN	57.7	21	140	100
67	Reno, NV	57.7	156	27	75
68	Tucson, AZ	57.7	83	51	126
69	Ocala, FL	57.7	38	80	147
70	Fort Myers, FL	57.5	114	71	70
71	Hickory, NC	57.4	3	161	145
72	Indianapolis, IN	57.4	45	110	115
73	Melbourne, FL	57.3	86	74	112
74	Greenville, SC	57.3	23	163	65
75	Harrisburg, PA	57.2	90	170	17
76	Santa Cruz, CA	57.1	186	6	32
77	Portland, OR	57.0	169	32	26
78	Savannah, GA	57.0	111	54	105
79	Kalamazoo, MI	56.9	55	109	110
80	Charlotte, NC	56.9	100	63	119
81	Brownsville, TX	56.9	5	138	152
82	San Antonio, TX	56.7	104	60	116
83	Buffalo, NY	56.4	60	159	52
84	Lafayette, LA	56.2	39	152	86
85	Rochester, NY	56.1	85	167	23
86	Jacksonville, FL	56.0	103	82	103
87	Columbus, OH	55.9	71	121	95
88	Poughkeepsie, NY	55.8	167	31	43
89	New Orleans, LA	55.5	91	88	123
90	Albuquerque, NM	55.5	97	41	154
91	Clarksville, TN	55.3	95	53	151
92	Albany, NY	55.3	109	156	38
93	Killeen, TX	55.2	87	85	133
94	Dallas, TX	55.1	132	64	99
95	Cleveland, OH	55.1	27	173	66
96	Tampa, FL	55.1	139	65	83
97	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN	55.1	141	124	35
98	El Paso, TX	55.0	78	102	122
99	Springfield, MO	54.8	66	75	158
100	Allentown, PA	54.8	117	81	107
101	Gulfport, MS	54.7	46	177	44
102	Lancaster, PA	54.6	146	128	27
103	New Haven, CT	54.6	155	157	13
104	McAllen, TX	54.5	10	120	167
105	Oklahoma City, OK	54.5	48	129	134
106	Salinas, CA	54.2	183	5	78
107	Daytona Beach, FL	54.1	126	43	142
108	San Francisco, CA	54.0	192	13	15
109	Louisville, KY	53.9	52	132	132
110	Manchester, NH	53.8	135	86	93
111	Tulsa, OK	53.7	36	137	150
112	Columbia, SC	53.7	92	94	137
113	Hartford, CT	53.4	134	180	10
114	Milwaukee, WI	53.3	75	125	128
115	Akron, OH	53.3	8	179	113
116	Spartanburg, SC	53.3	24	105	171
117	Tallahassee, FL	53.2	115	133	68
118	Youngstown, OH	53.2	2	188	125
119	Duluth, MN	53.2	62	178	46
120	Orlando, FL	53.1	149	39	124
121	Yakima, WA	53.1	119	52	156
122	South Bend, IN	53.1	13	142	164
123	Greensboro, NC	53.1	41	127	157
124	Des Moines, IA	53.0	34	175	89
125	Cedar Rapids, IA	52.7	20	183	79
126	Evansville, IN	52.5	37	182	67
127	Providence, RI	52.4	144	47	141
128	Virginia Beach, VA	52.4	145	107	71
129	Boston, MA	52.1	179	33	45
130	Lansing, MI	52.0	64	176	64
131	Phoenix, AZ	51.7	151	73	117
132	Trenton, NJ	51.6	143	139	62
133	Reading, PA	51.6	101	148	106
134	Baltimore, MD	51.4	128	131	88
135	Augusta, GA	51.4	51	106	170
136	Baton Rouge, LA	51.4	53	122	165
137	Jackson, MS	51.1	26	134	172
138	Oxnard, CA	50.9	182	19	85
139	Houston, TX	50.9	106	66	168
140	Canton, OH	50.9	76	174	74
141	Lexington, KY	50.9	164	100	49
142	Worcester, MA	50.6	150	59	146
143	Pittsburgh, PA	50.4	67	172	108
144	Santa Rosa, CA	49.8	184	40	24
145	Hagerstown, MD	49.5	43	130	173
146	Las Vegas, NV	49.4	161	29	160
147	Philadelphia, PA	49.0	112	145	127
148	Springfield, MA	48.8	133	101	153
149	San Luis Obispo, CA	48.8	185	58	25
150	Toledo, OH	48.7	4	181	166
151	Beaumont, TX	48.5	19	168	169
152	Huntington, WV	48.5	129	165	82
153	Columbus, GA	48.4	84	141	161
154	York, PA	48.3	142	162	76
155	Anchorage, AK	48.3	163	56	144
156	Detroit, MI	48.2	72	155	162
157	Fayetteville, NC	47.8	88	143	163
158	Utica, NY	47.3	17	186	139
159	Tuscaloosa, AL	47.2	49	97	188
160	Honolulu, HI	47.1	191	49	22
161	Denver, CO	47.0	165	17	184
162	San Diego, CA	46.5	190	46	40
163	Los Angeles, CA	46.4	188	22	129
164	Norwich, CT	46.3	120	158	149
165	Laredo, TX	45.5	80	150	174
166	Chicago, IL	45.2	154	147	130
167	Sacramento, CA	45.2	175	77	111
168	Syracuse, NY	45.1	56	185	135
169	Fresno, CA	45.0	171	50	155
170	Erie, PA	44.8	42	189	109
171	New York, NY	44.5	180	89	96
172	Atlantic City, NJ	44.5	148	151	143
173	Wichita, KS	44.0	57	169	177
174	Flint, MI	43.9	47	164	185
175	Scranton, PA	43.2	50	166	183
176	Mobile, AL	43.0	81	160	180
177	Corpus Christi, TX	42.5	110	146	179
178	Shreveport, LA	41.5	32	184	176
179	Visalia, CA	41.3	170	144	138
180	Modesto, CA	41.2	174	37	175
181	Memphis, TN	41.0	105	67	191
182	Davenport, IA	40.9	12	192	159
183	Montgomery, AL	40.6	74	135	189
184	Charleston, WV	40.4	58	191	131
185	Riverside, CA	40.3	181	26	178
186	Rockford, IL	39.1	30	187	181
187	Peoria, IL	39.0	113	190	90
188	Birmingham, AL	38.3	54	123	192
189	Merced, CA	37.5	172	57	186
190	Bakersfield, CA	36.5	173	84	182
191	Stockton, CA	29.5	178	104	190
192	Vallejo, CA	28.6	189	92	187

Final Thoughts

When deciding where to call home, prospective homebuyers must know what they’re getting into. We hope this study helps you better understand the benefits and drawbacks of buying real estate in different cities and what factors contribute most to your unique home-buying process.

The best place to start is to determine which of the three key factors – cost of living, real estate attractiveness, and quality of life – is most important to your financial well-being, lifestyle, and family needs. These factors – and where the top U.S. cities rank for them – are extremely useful reference points in your journey to finding the perfect home.

Need more insight on housing prices in your current area? Check out Today’s Homeowner’s study on average U.S. home prices and the salaries needed to afford them.

Methodology

To determine the best cities for homeowners, Today’s Homeowner graded each city on three categories and 24 different factors, using a weighted scale, listed out below. Each metric was graded on a 10-point scale, with a score of 10 representing the most favorable city for homeowners.

Cost of Living (30%)

Gas prices
Food prices
Housing costs
Property taxes
Cost of living index
Cost of home services

Real Estate Trends (35%)

Gas prices
Food prices
Housing costs
Property taxes
Cost of living index
Cost of home services

Quality of Life (35%)

Population
Education quality
Healthcare quality
Property crime rate per capita
Violent crime rate per capita
Average commute time
Transit score
Arts and entertainment
Percentage of college-educated residents

While we have ranked cities, some data is at the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level. As part of our research, we aim to use the most accurate, authoritative, and current data available. Some of this data is only available by MSA. In these cases, this data was blended with our other data sets to create the city-level rankings.

Sources

U.S. Census American Housing Survey, AAA, BLS, FBI, BEA, local government traffic accident data, NAR, Realtor.com, BestPlaces.net, Numbeo.

The Best U.S. Cities for Homeowners in 2022 & 2024