# Why Is Housing So Cheap Here?

> Housing prices explained, one city at a time

Independent journalism about United States housing costs. Every statistic is
traceable to a named public source, and indicators calculated by this site are
labelled as derived rather than presented as official figures.

## Scope

- Home prices, rents, incomes and affordability for US cities and counties
- Property taxes, home insurance and climate risk as ownership costs
- Domestic migration and local housing supply

## Dataset

- 32,330 incorporated places and 3,222 counties, from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates.
- Indicators: population, median home value, median gross rent, median household income, rent burden, homeownership rate, vacancy rate, median year built.
- Derived by this site and labelled as such: price-to-income ratio, affordability index.
- JSON API: https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/wp-json/housing/v1/markets
- Single market: https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/wp-json/housing/v1/markets/{geoid}
- Markets are keyed by US Census GEOID.

## Standards

- [Methodology](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/methodology/): How figures are collected, compared and verified
- [Editorial Policy](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/editorial-policy/): Editorial standards and sourcing rules
- [Corrections Policy](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/corrections-policy/): How corrections are handled
- [About](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/about/): Who publishes this site
- [Editorial Team](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/editorial-team/): Named authors and their expertise

## Recent reporting

- [New Homes Cost $42,300 Less Than Existing Homes — Here’s Why](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/are-new-homes-cheaper-than-existing-homes/): New homes sold for $42,300 less than existing homes at the national median in June 2026. Elevated builder inventory, smaller floor plans and mortgage incentives are changing the traditional new-construction premium
- [Premium Real Estate Agents Promise More—But Are They Worth It?](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/premium-real-estate-agents-worth-it/): Luxury agents may offer stronger marketing, discretion and access to specialized buyers, but the label alone does not guarantee better results
- [New Homes Are Now Undercutting Older Homes in America](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/new-homes-cheaper-than-existing-homes-2026/): Builders are cutting prices and offering mortgage incentives as unsold inventory grows, but buyers still need to compare location, lot size and long-term costs
- [Cheap House in Florida: 8 Hidden Costs Buyers Miss](https://whyishousingsocheaphere.com/cheap-house-in-florida-hidden-costs/): A low asking price in Florida can hide insurance, flood, tax, HOA and repair bills. Here is how to calculate the real cost before buying.

## Citation

Attribute quotations and figures to Why Is Housing So Cheap Here? and link to the specific page.
Census figures are public domain and should be attributed to the US Census Bureau.