The Cheapest Neighborhoods in the 30 Biggest US Cities

Updated March 21, 2023, 9:10 AM
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Sean Pavone / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Life in many big cities is financially out of reach for anyone who isn’t incredibly well off. The cost of housing alone can make the prospects of living in one of America’s most populous urban centers a pipe dream. And the housing market has been on a wild ride through the pandemic. Despite economic hardship in the early days, when locking down businesses nearly sent the economy into recession, the housing market really didn’t cool, and in fact, even accelerated in rising home prices.

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While the housing market may be stabilizing some, housing is not exactly cheap. But if you know the right neighborhoods to move to in some big cities, you can get lucky and find an affordable home and still enjoy the benefits of city life.

That’s the motivation behind a GOBankingRates study highlighting the neighborhoods in American metropolises that offer the most budget-friendly options for housing. Taking 30 of the largest cities in the country and ranking them by population, the study identified three neighborhoods in each city where the cost of buying and renting is lowest. To determine these costs, GOBankingRates used Zillow’s rent index and home value index with 2023 data — both of which use weighted results from listings and sales data to give a more accurate reflection of the expected costs in a specific housing market. These areas might not be a magic bullet that allows you to buy a spacious home in one of America’s priciest cities, but they might remedy a difficult budget or offer a realistic cure for that long commute.

So, take a look and see where in America you can buy and rent housing for less.

TheBronxNYC / Wikimedia CommonsTheBronxNYC / Wikimedia Commons
TheBronxNYC / Wikimedia Commons

1. New York

  • Park Hill

    • Average home value: $731,215

  • Stapleton

    • Average home value: $469,655

  • Mariner’s Harbor

    • Average home value: $477,818

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trekandshoot / Shutterstock.comtrekandshoot / Shutterstock.com
trekandshoot / Shutterstock.com

2. Los Angeles

  • Watts

    • Average home value: $520,950

  • Southeast Los Angeles

    • Average home value: $557,589

  • Central City

    • Average home value: $574,807

stevegeer / Getty Images/iStockphotostevegeer / Getty Images/iStockphoto
stevegeer / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3. Chicago

  • Riverdale

    • Average home value: $73,409

  • Golden Gate

    • Average home value: $77,574

  • Eden Green

    • Average home value: $82,834

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

4. Houston

  • Clinton Park Tri-Community

    • Average home value: $142,639

  • South Park:

    • Average home value: $144,937

  • Harrisburg – Manchester:

    • Average home value: $145,560

chrisinphilly5448 / Flickr.comchrisinphilly5448 / Flickr.com
chrisinphilly5448 / Flickr.com

5. Philadelphia

  • McGuire

    • Average home value: $56,677

  • Fairhill

    • Average home value: $57,280

  • Upper Kensington

    • Average home value: $60,268

Pgiam / Getty Images/iStockphotoPgiam / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Pgiam / Getty Images/iStockphoto

6. Phoenix

  • Maryvale

    • Average home value: $307,329

  • Central City

    • Average home value: $324,097

  • South Mountain

    • Average home value: $345,422

KenB / Wikimedia CommonsKenB / Wikimedia Commons
KenB / Wikimedia Commons

7. San Antonio

  • San Juan Gardens

    • Average home value: $103,209

  • Greater Gardendale

    • Average home value: $114,056

  • Las Palmas

    • Average home value: $114,857

Roman Eugeniusz / Wikimedia CommonsRoman Eugeniusz / Wikimedia Commons
Roman Eugeniusz / Wikimedia Commons

8. San Diego

  • Barrio Logan

    • Average home value: $532,341

  • Colina del Sol

    • Average home value: $532,757

  • Teralta East

    • Average home value: $548,336

kanonsky / Getty Imageskanonsky / Getty Images
kanonsky / Getty Images

9. Dallas

  • South Boulevard-Park Row Historic

    • Average home value: $140,639.67

  • Cedar Crest

    • Average home value: $144,813.33

  • Southeast Dallas

    • Average home value: $175,468.00

pbk-pg / Shutterstock.compbk-pg / Shutterstock.com
pbk-pg / Shutterstock.com

10. San Jose, California

  • East San Jose

    • Average home value: $991,175

  • Fairgrounds

    • Average home value: $1,006,632

  • Edenvale – Seven Trees

    • Average home value: $1,010,672

Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock.comRoschetzky Photography / Shutterstock.com
Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock.com

11. Austin, Texas

  • Franklin Park

    • Average home value: $326,506

  • North Lamar

    • Average home value: $339,447

  • Georgian Acres

    • Average home value: $344,177

JSvideos / Shutterstock.comJSvideos / Shutterstock.com
JSvideos / Shutterstock.com

12. Jacksonville, Florida

  • Phoenix

    • Average home value: $89,804

  • Tallyrand

    • Average home value: $93,570

  • Fairfield

    • Average home value: $93,942

Arpad Benedek / iStock.comArpad Benedek / iStock.com
Arpad Benedek / iStock.com

13. Fort Worth, Texas

  • Morningside Park

    • Average home value: $142,085

  • South Fort Worth

    • Average home value: $146,482

  • Burchill

    • Average home value: $147,448

TrentGarverick / Getty Images/iStockphotoTrentGarverick / Getty Images/iStockphoto
TrentGarverick / Getty Images/iStockphoto

14. Columbus, Ohio

  • East Linden

    • Average home value: $98,942

  • Devon Triangle

    • Average home value: $101,618

  • East Columbus Gateway

    • Average home value: $102,626

f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphotof11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto
f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15. Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Meadows

    • Average home value: $94,458

  • Martindale-Brightwood

    • Average home value: $96,029

  • Near Westside

    • Average home value: $99,827

SnapASkyline / Shutterstock.comSnapASkyline / Shutterstock.com
SnapASkyline / Shutterstock.com

16. San Francisco

  • Sunnydale

    • Average home value: $859,421

  • Hunters Point

    • Average home value: $862,504

  • Bret Harte

    • Average home value: $882,074

Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphotoKruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Kruck20 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

17. Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Thomasboro-Hoskins

    • Average home value: $207,422

  • Capitol Drive

    • Average home value: $208,921

  • University Park

    • Average home value: $212,422

PhilAugustavo / Getty Images/iStockphotoPhilAugustavo / Getty Images/iStockphoto
PhilAugustavo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

18. Seattle, Washington

  • South Park

    • Average home value: $533,384

  • Rainier View

    • Average home value: $581,164

  • South Delridge

    • Average home value: $446,556.00

milehightraveler / Getty Images/iStockphotomilehightraveler / Getty Images/iStockphoto
milehightraveler / Getty Images/iStockphoto

19. Denver

  • Elyria Swansea

    • Average home value: $381,579

  • Westwood

    • Average home value: $391,998

  • Globeville

    • Average home value: $400,413

Orhan Cam / Shutterstock.comOrhan Cam / Shutterstock.com
Orhan Cam / Shutterstock.com

20. Washington D.C.

  • Fairfax Village

    • Average home value: $252,175

  • Barry Farm

    • Average home value: $309,478

  • Knox Hill

    • Average home value: $333,534

MoreISO / Getty ImagesMoreISO / Getty Images
MoreISO / Getty Images

21. Nashville, Tennessee

  • Lake Country

    • Average home value: $217,057

  • Vista Lane

    • Average home value: $232,736

  • Justin Towne

    • Average home value: $233,825

Mark Taylor Cunningham / Shutterstock.comMark Taylor Cunningham / Shutterstock.com
Mark Taylor Cunningham / Shutterstock.com

22. El Paso, Texas

  • Chamizal

    • Average home value: $98,302

  • San Juan

    • Average home value: $104,550

  • Magoffin

    • Average home value: $118,286

Shutterstock.comShutterstock.com
Shutterstock.com

23. Oklahoma City

  • Shidler-Wheeler

    • Average home value: $76,296

  • Airline

    • Average home value: $77,527

  • Westlawn Gardens

    • Average home value: $78,290

Keith J Finks / Shutterstock.comKeith J Finks / Shutterstock.com
Keith J Finks / Shutterstock.com

24. Boston, Massachusetts

  • Mattapan

    • Average home value: $523,069

  • Hyde Park

    • Average home value: $571,672

  • Roxbury

    • Average home value: $615,470

tusharkoley / Shutterstock.comtusharkoley / Shutterstock.com
tusharkoley / Shutterstock.com

25. Portland, Oregon

  • Sumner

    • Average home value: $374,569

  • Lents

    • Average home value: $393,867

  • Centennial

    • Average home value: $397,819

Steven_Kriemadis / Getty ImagesSteven_Kriemadis / Getty Images
Steven_Kriemadis / Getty Images

26. Detroit, Michigan

  • West End

    • Average home value: $34,922

  • Airport Sub

    • Average home value:$36,877

  • Hawthorne Park

    • Average home value: $37,411

Stan Shebs / Wikimedia CommonsStan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons
Stan Shebs / Wikimedia Commons

27. Las Vegas, Nevada

  • Downtown East

    • Average home value: $273,153

  • Parkland

    • Average home value: $278,757

  • Wyandotte

    • Average home value: $279,284

aimintang / Getty Imagesaimintang / Getty Images
aimintang / Getty Images

28. Memphis, Tennessee

  • Shelby Forest-Frayser

    • Average home value: $79,235

  • Berclair-Highland Heights

    • Average home value: $91,901

  • Downtown

    • Average home value: $96,121

Phyllis A Bentley / Shutterstock.comPhyllis A Bentley / Shutterstock.com
Phyllis A Bentley / Shutterstock.com

29. Louisville, Kentucky

  • Park Hill

    • Average home value: $53,660

  • Portland

    • Average home value: $57,307

  • California

    • Average home value: $57,700

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

30. Baltimore, Maryland

  • Booth-Boyd

    • Average home value: $32,754

  • Carrollton Ridge

    • Average home value: $35,774

  • Shipley Hill

    • Average home value: $37,371

More From GOBankingRates

Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting of this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Cheapest Neighborhoods in the 30 Biggest US Cities

Originally published March 21, 2023, 9:01 AM