Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 19 major US cities

Boston's Back Bay neighborhood

Libby Kane
In the market for a home? Mortgage site HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major metropolitan areas in the US, according to fourth-quarter 2015 data.
Thanks to lower mortgage rates and home prices, houses were more affordable in nearly every metro area measured than they had been in the previous quarter. The National Association of Realtors told HSH.com that it doesn't expect this trend to continue. The site also calculated how it would change the salary needed to buy a home if a buyer were to put 10% down instead of the recommended 20%. No matter where you are, it's more expensive — you can visit HSH.com to see both numbers.
The site looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors. It took into account interest rates for common 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage, taxes, and insurance in each city, and how much you'd have to earn to afford it. Salaries listed are rounded to the nearest $500.

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19. San Antonio

Google Maps

Population: 1,409,000
Median Home Price: $192,100
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,096
Salary Needed to Buy: $46,000

18. Orlando

Google Maps

Population: 255,483
Median Home Price: $205,000
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,115
Salary Needed to Buy: $48,000

17. Minneapolis

Google Maps

Population: 407,207
Median Home Price: $223,700
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,172
Salary Needed to Buy: $50,500

16. Philadelphia

Google Maps

Population: 1,517,628
Median Home Price: $213,700
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,204
Salary Needed to Buy: $51,500

15. Dallas

Google Maps

Population: 2,518,638
Median Home Price: $206,200
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,208
Salary Needed to Buy: $52,000

14. Houston

Google Maps

Population: 2,076,189
Median Home Price: $209,200
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,217
Salary Needed to Buy: $52,000

13. Baltimore

Google Maps

Population: 640,064
Median Home Price: $233,500
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,233
Salary Needed to Buy: $53,000

12. Chicago

Google Maps

Population: 2,824,584
Median Home Price: $209,800
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,352
Salary Needed to Buy: $58,000

11. Sacramento

Google Maps

Population: 479,686
Median Home Price: $294,100
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,450
Salary Needed to Buy: $62,000

10. Miami

Google Maps

Population: 417,650
Median Home Price: $286,000
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,471
Salary Needed to Buy: $63,000

9. Portland

Google Maps

Population: 609,456
Median Home Price: $318,300
Monthly Mortgage Payment $1,538
Salary Needed to Buy: $66,000

8. Denver

Google Maps

Population: 649,495
Median Home Price: $353,500
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,596
Salary Needed to Buy: $68,500

7. Seattle

Google Maps

Population: 652,405
Median Home Price: $385,300
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,829
Salary Needed to Buy: $78,500

6. Washington, DC

Google Maps

Population: 582,049
Median Home Price: $371,600
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,834
Salary Needed to Buy: $78,500

5. Boston

Google Maps

Population: 645,966
Median Home Price: $393,600
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,940
Salary Needed to Buy: $83,000

4. New York City

Google Maps

Population: 8,213,839
Median Home Price: $384,600
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,024
Salary Needed to Buy: $87,000

3. Los Angeles

Google Maps

Population: 3,794,640
Median Home Price: $481,900
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,217
Salary Needed to Buy: $95,000

2. San Diego

Google Maps

Population: 1,284,347
Median Home Price: $546,800
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,407
Salary Needed to Buy: $103,000

1. San Francisco

Google Maps

Population: 777,660
Median Home Price: $781,600
Monthly Mortgage Payment: $3,453
Salary Needed to Buy: $148,000

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