Where can you afford to live?

Enter your current home and see where your budget goes furthest. Find cities where the same house costs less — or where the same budget buys you a bigger home. Free, no sign-up.

100% free 440+ U.S. cities Nothing saved or shared
Step 1  Your home today
1,900 sq ft
Your home is worth about
Enter your ZIP to begin
Step 2  What are you looking for?
Enter your ZIP code and home size above to see where you can afford to live.

Estimates use local median price per square foot from public market data (Realtor.com & Zillow research). Directional only — not appraisals or offers. Actual prices vary by home, condition, and timing.

See full home values for any city

Dig into local prices, price per square foot, and what it's like to live there.

Explore home values by city

How far does your home budget go in another city?

Two houses that are nearly identical can cost wildly different amounts depending on where they sit. A home that sells for $400,000 in one metro might be $250,000 in another — or $900,000 in a third. This relocation calculator turns that idea into real numbers: it takes your current home's estimated value as a budget, then shows where that budget buys the same house for less, or a much bigger one.

How the relocation calculator works

  • Step 1 — your home today. Enter your ZIP code and home size. We estimate your home's value using the local median price per square foot, which becomes your moving budget.
  • Step 2 — your goal. Choose "same-size home, save money" to rank cities by how much you'd save buying a home your size, or "same budget, bigger home" to see how many square feet your budget buys in each city.
  • Results. A ranked list of 440+ U.S. cities, filterable by state and searchable by name. Click any city for its full home-value breakdown and what it's like to live there.

Where homes are cheapest (and most expensive)

In general, the Midwest and parts of the South offer the most home for the money, while coastal California, the Northeast corridor, and resort markets sit at the top end. Moving from an expensive metro to an affordable one is one of the few ways to unlock six figures of home equity without earning a cent more — which is exactly what this tool helps you quantify. Browse the full picture on our U.S. home values map, or see the extremes in the most expensive ZIP codes in America.

Before you move

Home price is the biggest line in a relocation budget, but not the only one. Weigh local cost of living, income differences, property taxes, and what daily life is actually like — details you can research from each city's page. And remember these are directional estimates: confirm any specific home with a local agent and a home value estimate for the exact ZIP.

Common questions

Relocation & affordability FAQ

Where can I afford to live with my budget? +
Enter your current home's ZIP and size above. The calculator estimates your home's value and then ranks 440+ U.S. cities by where a same-size home costs less (so you pocket the difference) or where your budget buys a bigger home. Filter by state or search for a specific city.
How much bigger a house can I buy if I move? +
Switch to "same budget, bigger home." For each city we divide your home's value by that city's median price per square foot to estimate how many square feet your budget buys — and compare it to your current size. Moving to a more affordable market can add hundreds of square feet for the same money.
Which cities are cheaper than where I live now? +
With "same-size home, save money" selected, keep "only cheaper than home" checked. The list shows every tracked city where a home your size costs less than yours, ranked by how much you'd save.
How accurate is the relocation calculator? +
It's a directional estimate based on local median price-per-square-foot data, not an appraisal. It's great for comparing markets and spotting where your budget stretches, but confirm any specific home with a real-estate agent and a precise local estimate.
Is moving to a cheaper city worth it? +
If housing is your biggest expense, relocating from a high-cost metro to an affordable one can free up significant equity or buy far more space. Weigh it against income, job market, taxes, and lifestyle — the calculator quantifies the housing piece so you can make an informed call.