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ST. GEORGE — The average price of a home in the United States has gone up nearly 2,000% in the past 50 years.
Buying a house is expensive, but a recent study reveals that the most affordable option is in the Midwest, specifically in Illinois, where the median monthly sale price for a house is $133,750.
Studio City realtors analyzed Zillow’s 2022 data on the median sale price of homes per state to find the cheapest state to buy a house.
Their finding shows that out of the 50 states, the four cheapest states to buy a house are Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma and Michigan. The housing costs in these locations range from $133,750 to $179,125.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum are Hawaii, California Colorado and Utah. More on that later.
Tony Mariotti, a Studio City realtor, says the study is helpful for first-time home buyers or those looking to relocate.
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Illinois
Taking the crown for the cheapest state to buy a house is Illinois, where the median sale cost is $133,750. It is, however, worth noting that The Prairie State has the highest household income of $79,253. This gives Illinoisans more purchasing power, clocking in a sale price ratio of 1.69
The cheapest city is Galesburg at $90,000, and the most expensive is Chicago at $282,750.
Ohio
Despite the lower household income in Ohio, $16,564 less than in Illinois, to be more precise, The Buckeye State snags second place for the most affordable state to buy a house at $155,000.
Ohio’s cheapest and most expensive cities are Portsmouth and Wooster, where the median sale is at $120,000 and $355,000, respectively.
Oklahoma
The third cheapest state where you can purchase a house is Oklahoma. Situated in the south-central region of the U.S., The Sooners State’s houses cost a median sale of $175,063, or $20,063 more than Ohio.
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The state’s household income versus Ohio is close, with just a $2,593 difference. The cheapest house in Oklahoma is in Ponca City, where housing costs an estimated $126,000.
The state’s capital, Oklahoma City, is the most expensive location at $236,000 — $119,000 cheaper than Ohio’s most expensive city Wooster.
Michigan
In the fourth spot is Michigan at $179,125. That’s about $45,375 more than Illinois.
The upper Midwestern state, which is also one the best states to raise kids, has a higher household income at $64,488 versus Oklahoma’s $60,096 and Ohio’s $62,689.
The cheapest city is Alma, which clocks at $136,250, and the most expensive is Traverse City at $347,450.
Compared to the most expensive cities of the four cheapest states, Michigan’s Traverse City takes the second spot, with Ohio’s Wooster in the first place.
Other cheap states to buy a house
The following states are more expensive than the mentioned top four; however, these locations still offer housing prices ranging from slightly more than $180,000-$200,000: Missouri: $182,100; Indiana: $184,725; Arkansas: $188,713; West Virginia: $191,500; New York: $192,500; Alabama: $200,000
Most expensive states to buy a house
In addition to discovering which states have the most affordable housing, the study also concluded that Utah is the fourth-most-epensive sate to buy a house in. And in ascending order the three most expensive are California, Colorado and Hawaii.
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Utah
Utah, home to five national parks that offer the best scenic road trips in the U.S., takes fourth place. Although $297,400 cheaper than Hawaii, Utah houses can set you back over half a million dollars, or $508,375, to be more precise.
The cheapest that you can get is in Vernal at $244,550.
California
California’s San Jose tramples Kahului and Breckenridge with its $1,370,000 median sale price of houses. As a whole, The Golden State only clocks in $537,000, which is significantly cheaper than Colorado and Hawaii. Still, the most affordable home in California is at Red Bluff, amounting to $320,000.
Colorado
Colorado is the second state to offer the most expensive housing in the U.S. It’s less exuberant than Hawaii. However, the state in the Rocky Mountain region still commands a whopping $537,125.
Surprisingly, Colorado’s Breckenridge City is more expensive than Hawaii’s Kahului. Based on the study, houses in Breckenridge cost $972,500 -$35,000 more than in Kahului.
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Hawaii
Hawaii tops the most expensive state to purchase a house, with a median sale of $805,775. For comparison, homes in Hawaii are six times more costly than in Illinois, or $672,025 more.
The $805,775 price tag is not the highest in Hawaii. If you specifically want to move to Kahului, which is on the northern side of the island of Maui, houses are $62,500 away from reaching the one million mark or $937,500, to be more precise.
The cheapest city in Hawaii is Hilo, at a staggering $551,500 – more than half the price of houses in Kahului.
Other expensive states to buy a house
The following states are less expensive than Hawaii, Colorado, California, or Utah, but these locations still command a premium price tag.
Washington, D.C.: $487,500; Montana: $467,000; Nevada: $403,725; Washington: $402,900; Oregon: $400,000 Rhode Island: $398,500.
Written by BOBBY KANIA, Wealth of Geeks, via The Associated Press
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