Overview
- WalletHub ranked Flint, Michigan the most affordable U.S. city for homebuyers, with Detroit second and Surprise, Arizona third.
- The study compared 300 cities using 10 measures such as price-to-income ratios, cost per square foot, taxes, maintenance costs, and vacancy rates.
- Flint posted the lowest cost-of-living index and the lowest median price per square foot at about $59, and Zillow puts its median home price near $66,000.
- The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta says a typical buyer now needs about $120,000 in annual income to afford a median U.S. home priced around $400,000.
- Reporters note that choices also reflect jobs, family ties, taxes, and local history, with Flint’s water system meeting EPA standards for six years after its crisis.