This Is the Salary You Need To Afford the Average Home in Your State
Davel5957 / Getty Images
Davel5957 / Getty Images

Shopping for a home can be one of the most exciting and daunting life milestones. Before you shop for homes, it’s important to understand which mortgage rates are best and how much of a monthly payment you can afford. Both are based on how much income you make.

Visiting a lender to get prequalified for a home loan is one of the first things you should do to learn the amount you might be eligible to borrow and the amount you owe each month. Depending on the state, that salary amount varies quite widely.

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For example, you only need to earn about $60,500 in Arkansas to buy an average home, whereas you’d have to earn almost $176,000 to afford one in Hawaii.

For you to own a home, and live comfortably, some financial experts recommend your housing costs — primarily your mortgage payments — shouldn’t consume more than 30% of your monthly income. With this rule of thumb in mind, GOBankingRates looked at home prices and mortgage rates in every state and estimated the minimum salary needed to afford the average home.

Keep reading to find out what the cost of housing looks like in your home state.

Jacqueline Nix / Getty Images
Jacqueline Nix / Getty Images

Alabama: $64,163

  • 2023 average home value: $201,212

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $1,058.61

  • Annual mortgage payments: $12,703

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Roman Sorokin / Shutterstock.com
Roman Sorokin / Shutterstock.com

Alaska: $106,279

  • 2023 average home value: $357,035

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $2,065.86

  • Annual mortgage payments: $24,790

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LordRunar / Getty Images/iStockphoto
LordRunar / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Arizona: $96,344

  • 2023 average home value: $420,605

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $2,304.00

  • Annual mortgage payments: $27,648

Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com
Malachi Jacobs / Shutterstock.com

Arkansas: $60,487

  • 2023 average home value: $176,107

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $963.21

  • Annual mortgage payments: $11,559

benedek / iStock.com
benedek / iStock.com

California: $148,908

  • 2023 average home value: $748,161

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $4,148.16

  • Annual mortgage payments: $49,778

Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Colorado: $111,199

  • 2023 average home value: $552,779

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $2,977.35

  • Annual mortgage payments: $35,728

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benedek / Getty Images
benedek / Getty Images

Connecticut: $103,999

  • 2023 average home value: $379,101

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $2,427.31

  • Annual mortgage payments: $29,128

aimintang / Getty Images
aimintang / Getty Images

Delaware: $89,773

  • 2023 average home value: $355,120

  • Monthly mortgage payment: $1,927.53

  • Annual mortgage payments: $23,130