Article Excerpt
What does a $300,000 house look like in different parts of the country? Is this price point still high enough to find a decent place to live?
The median home price in the U.S. was around $350,000 earlier this year. This is higher than Texas’ average. We took a look at a number of cities and towns to see what kind of home $300,000 will get you. Most of this information comes from listing prices and estimated home values on Realtor.com. The links throughout this article will give you real-world examples of homes in different areas.
You might be surprised to learn that “big city” does not always mean “big prices,” nor does “small town” always mean “less expensive.”
Austin, Texas
Let’s start close to home, with two zip codes in the Austin, Texas area. Texas’ most expensive zip code, 78733, is located here. It is no surprise that $300,000 is only likely to get you an empty lot in this part of town.
In Austin’s least expensive zip code, 78724, you might get a pretty good value. Listings there include houses with up to three bedrooms and around 1,000 square feet.
Cities with Populations Similar to Austin
Austin’s population in 2020 was just over 960,000. This number refers to the city itself - not the surrounding metro area. We took a look at three cities with similar populations to see how they compare.
Jacksonville, Florida
This city in northern Florida offers a variety of homes in this price range, including 1,000-square-foot condominiums and 1,000- to 2,000-square-foot houses.
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio’s state capital has many affordable options. Homes with two or more stories and over 2,000 square feet are available for less than $300,000.
San Francisco, California
While people might think of the entire Bay Area when they hear “San Francisco,” the city itself is home to about 870,000 densely packed people. With space at a premium, $300,000 will only get you a small one-bedroom condo of around 500 square feet.
Big Cities
New York City and Los Angeles are notorious for their expensive real estate. We don’t hear as much, though, about America’s third-largest city, Chicago.
Photo by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Some parts of the city are prohibitively expensive, but others offer some interesting choices for under $300,000, including condos, houses, and perhaps even a few apartment buildings.
Small Towns
Finding real estate prices in small towns can be difficult since not everything finds its way to websites like Realtor or Zillow. We selected three towns around the country with small populations to see how their real estate markets look.
Pecos, Texas
Named for the river that separates West Texas from the rest of the state, Pecos is home to just over 10,000 people. $300,000 there will get you a house with around 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, or a multi-acre plot of land.
Sedalia, Missouri
Photo by David Wilson from Flickr [Creative Commons]
Sedalia is a town of about 20,000 people located in central Missouri, just over ninety miles from Kansas City. Listings under $300,000 there include a home with just over 2,000 square feet and one with just under 4,000 square feet.
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Photo by SamuelStone from Pixabay
Nearly 3,000 people live in this town located on the tip of Cape Cod. While it is small, it is also a popular destination. That means its real estate is in demand. $300,000 might get you a tiny condominium or an empty lot.
Get your own slice of the pie!
Home prices have continually risen throughout America’s history. The best time to buy? As soon as you can. Get started with the mortgage lender Texans trust!
