10 Metros Where Homes Cost Below $300K
The costs of homeownership continue to increase across the U.S., with the national median home listing now hovering around $399,900, according to a report from real estate marketing platform Realtor.com. However, in some metros, it’s still possible to purchase a home below $300,000.
10 metros where you can still buy a home below $300,000
Many of the metros with home prices below $300,000 are located in the Midwest and South, with the top 10 including:
- Joplin, Mo.
- Dayton, Ohio
- Columbus, Ga.
- Champaign, Ill.
- Scranton, Pa.
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Amarillo, Texas
- Bangor, Maine
- Duluth, Minn.
- Louisville, Ky.
Even in these metros, costs have risen considerably over the last several years
The report analyzes median home prices across the top 10 most affordable metros, and compares them with their respective median prices in 2020. Across the top three markets, home prices increased by more than $50,000 during this time, with some metros seeing prices increase of nearly $100,000.
For instance, in Joplin, Mo., the median home price in 2026 is $237,600, compared with $147,706 in 2020. In Dayton, Ohio, the median list price in 2026 is $239,900, but was $149,900 in 2020, and in Columbus, Ga., the median list price grew from $183,900 in 2020 to $240,000 in 2026.