America’s size and diversity make it sometimes feel like several different countries lumped into one. These disparities are especially clear when you look into the cost of housing across the US. What kind of house can you buy for $500,000? You can purchase anything from a snug studio apartment to a sprawling estate, depending on where you want to live.
A location’s desirability is one of the biggest factors in home prices. It drives demand, which, when it exceeds supply, can send home prices skyrocketing. In general, the suburbs of major urban centers, especially in California, boast some of the most expensive housing markets, while the South and Midwest are among the most affordable. Coastal cities are more expensive on the whole than their same-size inland counterparts. Here’s a breakdown of what a $500,000 house looks like in different parts of America.
The Northeast
New York City isn’t the only heavy hitter when it comes to exorbitant home prices in the Northeast. The suburb of Greenwich, CT, has one of the most expensive housing markets in the region—as of mid-2020, the median home price is $1.3M, more than five times higher than the $250,000 national median. New York City’s median home price is hovering at around $650,000 as of 2020—brought down by the fact that there are affordable areas in the outer boroughs. So, while $500,000 will barely get you a studio in Manhattan, you could buy a 3-bedroom house in Staten Island. Meanwhile, in Greenwich, your half-million dollar budget will only buy you a fixer-upper if you’re lucky enough to find one.
In most other metropolises in the Northeast like Boston and Washington, DC, you can get an approximately 1,000-square-foot apartment with that budget. Meanwhile, cities like Philadelphia, Providence, Portland, and Baltimore are much more affordable, with median home prices below $350,000. Venture out to more remote cities like Scranton, PA, and Buffalo, NY, and your $500,000 will get you five bedrooms and more than 3,000 square feet in some of the most desirable neighborhoods.
The South
With the exception of a few urban centers, the South offers very affordable housing. Around the Appalachian Mountains, home prices are extremely affordable. In rural Virginia and North Carolina, $500,000 can net you huge 4- and 5-bedroom houses on sprawling lots, lakefront property, and stunning mountain views.
Venturing into the Deep South, in Mobile, AL, our hypothetical budget affords 4-bed, 4-bath houses with nearly 4,000 square feet plus a multi-car garage. Even in large metro areas like Miami, Austin, and New Orleans, homes remain affordable with median home prices at or below $400,000.
However, in the northernmost part of the South, the market is voracious. Around the Northern Virginia and DC-Metro areas, prices skyrocket. For example, the median home price in McLean, VA, is just over $1M, and properties for $500,000 are almost nonexistent.
The Midwest
Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, and parts of Chicago are among the nation’s most affordable urban centers. The median home price in Cleveland is just under $70,000, less than a third of the national average as of 2020. For $500,000, you can buy an enormous 5-bedroom house with over 4,000 square feet. In Detroit, which is still in the midst of a housing crisis, median home values are at $33,000. Yes, you read that right. Our budget would buy a 5-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house or an entire city block’s worth of fixer-uppers, depending on what you’re looking for.
Chicago’s median list price of just under a quarter-million seems almost outlandish by comparison, but $500,000 will still get you plenty of amenities, like a luxury condo in the heart of Downtown or a brownstone-style multi-level with a chef’s kitchen and luxury master bath. Similarly, for $500,000, you can get a 3- to 4-bedroom newly renovated house in Minneapolis.
The Southwest
In Austin, Texas, the median list price is about $217,000, and half a million would give you your pick of comfortable, suburban homes, like a 1930’s Craftsman with Turkish marble kitchen floors. Though Dallas is famed for its oil tycoon-owned palatial abodes, its median home price is just $130,000, and your budget buys a quirky, 1924 eclectic with a master balcony. Phoenix, Arizona is quite affordable as well, with a median asking price of $174,000. Your $500,000 gets you a five-bed, three-bath mission-style home in a gated community.
Taking our hypothetical money to the desert, we can still get quite a bit of space and amenities while living in some of the most desirable cities in the Southwest—not to mention the most beautiful. Median home prices in Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona hover in the low $200,000 to mid-$300,000 range.
Amongst the biggest metropolises in the Southwest, Salt Lake City, UT, surprisingly leads the pack in home values with a median price of $420,000. Reno, NV, which was recently buoyed by the addition of both an Amazon warehouse and Tesla factory, isn’t far behind. Reno, as well as Santa Fe, NM, has recently seen home values shoot up—their median home price is in the low $400,000s. In Salt Lake City, a half-million-dollar budget will get you anything from a modest 2-bedroom, 1,300 square-foot home to a sprawling 4-bedroom, 3,000 square-foot home depending on the area, although inventory is low. The same budget gets you a solid 3-bedroom home in Reno or Santa Fe.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Albuquerque remain affordable with median prices below $300,000. In all three of these cities, you can get a 3- to 4-bedroom home with over 2,000 square feet of living space and a pool with your $500,000 budget.
The Rocky Mountains
Real estate in the breathtaking Rockies can get steep. Situated near Yellowstone, the resort town of Jackson, WY, has a median home price of $860,000. Similar Rocky Mountain playgrounds for the wealthy like Aspen and Vail in Colorado are also astronomically priced with median prices of $1.9M and $1M, respectively. You won’t find anything bigger than a parking spot for $500,000 in these towns.
You’ll fare a bit better in Denver where the median home price is less than half that of Vail’s at $465,000. There are quite a few lovely Craftsman and ranch-style homes with around 1,500 square feet of living space as well as 2-bedroom condos in Downtown for $500,000. For more bang for your buck, Bozeman, MT, and Boise, ID, will get you a lot more living space—3-bedroom homes that are closer to 2,500 square feet.
The West Coast
As we near the Pacific, our budget falls woefully short. The top five most expensive real estate markets in the nation are all located in California. Brace yourself: The median home price in Palo Alto is over $3M. Our half-million-dollar budget might buy a walk-in closet. Once in a while, you might find a tiny fixer-upper in this price range, but you’re going to need some serious capital to make it habitable. Los Angeles’ sprawl makes it easier to find something for $500,000. You can find 2- and 3-bedroom homes in more suburban neighborhoods within our budget, but they’ll be short on amenities.
Portland’s prices have been quickly rising, but its median price is still somewhat reasonable at $467,000. Half a million will buy you the kind of house similar to a cozy bungalow with a postage-stamp lawn, or a 1,000-square-foot Downtown condo with two beds. Head north to Seattle, where real estate prices have rapidly become unaffordable and $500,000 will get you a tiny, 1-bedroom condo in Downtown Seattle or a snug, single-family home in the ‘burbs.
Non-Continental US
We can’t forget Alaska and Hawaii. If you’re looking to escape to the Last Frontier, Anchorage homes are valued at a median $329,000. Half a million dollars will afford you a solid 4- to 6-bedroom home. But beware the high cost of living. Its remote location means Anchorage life can be costly despite the affordable real estate.
As befitting a paradise destination, home prices in Honolulu are considerably steeper, nearly twice that of Anchorage at $705,000. There are virtually no single-family homes to be had for half a million, but plenty of small 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, some with palm tree-studded ocean views. Similarly, on Maui and Kauai, you can find modest 1- to 2-bedroom, 1,000-square foot homes within this budget.
