10 Most Expensive Cities in the U.S. to Buy a House

Below you can see our list of the 10 most expensive cities in the US to buy a house. For a more comprehensive list please see this article.

10. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $477,400

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $491,900

Greater Boston has a population of over 4.8 million people and the MSA is home to the oldest and arguably the most prestigious educational institution in the US in Harvard University.

9. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $501,400

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $524,700

Nearly 4 million people live in the MSA, where the median house costs over $500,000.

8. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $590,800

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $611,200

Of course Los Angeles is one of the most expensive areas in the US to buy a house, with the median price crossing $600,000 in 2019.

7. Boulder, CO

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $607,400

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $618,600

The most expensive city in Colorado to buy a house in is Boulder, and has high rankings in health, quality of life, education and art.

6. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $634,000

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $645,000

California mostly dominates our list and the Sandiego-Carlsbad MSA is no exception with prices reaching nearly $650,000.

5. Urban Honolulu, HI

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $802,700

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $802,500

Hawaii finally makes an entry in our article at number 5, with Honolulu, its capital.

4. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $820,000

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $825,000

Also known as Orange County, the MSA has a population greater than 21 states and single family homes dominate its landscape, even though they are extremely expensive at $825,000.

3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

We have referred to other sources for determining the average cost of an apartment in the New York MSA. While the average price of an apartment in New York is $1.7 million, the median price is around $916,000, giving it third place in the list of most expensive cities in the US to buy a house in.

2. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $987,500

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $988,000

It may be the most expensive place to rent a home in, but for purchasing a home, San Francisco has to settle for second place.

1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2018: $1,340,000

Median sales price of existing single family homes in 2019: $1,265,000

With the two top entries belong to California, you can be certain is the most expensive state to live in while the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA tops the list of 10 most expensive cities in the U.S. to buy a house. While it is one of the few cities in our list to have seen price decreases year on year, and in absolute terms, has registered the biggest decrease by far, having a median home of over $1.25 million ensures that it will remain the most expensive city for buying a house unless things change drastically. While we may not know the full impact of Covid on the prices, it is very likely that things will not change much here as this is the heart of Silicon Valley, home to some of the biggest tech companies in the world, whose profits have actually soared beyond belief during the pandemic. If anything, it’s likely that the prices will register a further increase in 2020 as well.

See also 25 fastest growing cities in the us by population growth and 25 worst major US cities for allergies.