Pittsburgh is the 3rd most affordable city for homebuyers, report says
Pittsburgh is the third most affordable city for homebuyers, according to a recent report from WalletHub.
Median home prices have skyrocketed in the past few years, jumping from $313,000 in 2019 to $419,000 in 2025. Meanwhile, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has soared, up to 6.81% compared to a historic low of 2.65% in 2021.
WalletHub says many consumers are wondering if they can even afford to buy a home. And while owning a home can still be a challenge, WalletHub says it's easier in Pittsburgh than many other cities.
To get its findings, WalletHub says it compared 300 U.S. cities against ten key metrics like housing affordability, maintenance affordability, cost of living, rent-to-price ratio and vacancy rate.
Pittsburgh is one of the most affordable cities for homebuyers
Pittsburgh is one of a handful of cities where it might actually be cheaper to buy a home than rent. Out of 300 cities, it has the 28th best housing affordability, with a median home price that's around 3.8 times higher than the median household income.
WalletHub's data agrees with a report from Realtor.com earlier this year. Economists with the real estate website said, according to its rental report for January, it's less expensive to buy a home than it is to rent in only two cities: Pittsburgh and Detroit.
Pittsburgh's median home list price in January was $229,700, with a monthly mortgage payment of $1,199. Meanwhile, the median rent during the same period was $1,413, Realtor.com said.
Pittsburgh has also repeatedly been named one of the most livable cities in the country. Livability.com ranked the Steel City in its top 100 list both this year and last year.
Flint and Detroit top the list
Flint, Michigan, is the most affordable city for homebuyers, according to WalletHub. Its price per square footage is $61, compared to over $1,000 in some of the most expensive cities, most of which are in California. Nearly 21% of all homes are vacant — perhaps because of the drinking water crisis, though WalletHub says the city has been in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for years.
Detroit, Michigan, comes in second. Surprise, Arizona, and Akron, Ohio, round out the top five.
