REALTING has compiled a ranking of states with the most expensive and cheapest USA residential real estate as of September 2025. To provide a deeper understanding of housing prices in this country, we also include maps showing observed prices in counties and metropolitan areas across the United States.

Housing cost data in the US was sourced from the FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) portal, created and maintained by the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. We used data on the median price per square foot in residential real estate listings for specific geographic regions (state, county, metropolitan area). For better clarity, we’ve added information on the cost per square meter, as well as price changes compared to September of the previous year and 2020.

Top 10 States with the Lowest Housing Prices

As of September 2025, the list of states where housing is the most affordable looks as follows:

State

Median price, USD/sq ft

Median price, USD/sq m

Y25/Y24*

Y25/Y20*

1. West Virginia (WV)

144

1550.00

+5.11%

+54.84%

2. Mississippi (MS)

148

1593.06

0.00%

+40.95%

3. Kansas (KS)

151

1625.35

+0.67%

+52.53%

4. Louisiana (LA)

152

1636.11

0.00%

+20.63%

5. Indiana (IN)

157

1689.93

+2.61%

+44.04%

6. Oklahoma (OK)

161

1732.99

+1.26%

+41.23%

7. Arkansas (AR)

162

1743.75

+4.52%

+54.29%

8. North Dakota (ND)

164

1765.28

+0.61%

+43.86%

9. Alabama (AL)

166

1786.81

+1.22%

+40.68%

10. Ohio (OH)

166

1786.81

+3.75%

+49.55%

*Y25/Y24 — Change in median price per square foot in housing listings in September 2025 compared to September 2024.

Y25/Y20 — Change in median price per square foot in housing listings in September 2025 compared to September 2020.

Top 10 States with the Highest Housing Prices

Here are the top 10 states with the most expensive cost per square foot (and consequently per square meter) for housing:

State

Median price, USD/sq ft

Median price, USD/sq m

Y25/Y24*

Y25/Y20*

1. Hawaii (HI)

698

7513.20

-2.65%

+18.51%

2. District of Columbia (DC)

489

5263.55

-4.12%

-16.27%

3. California (CA)

460

4951.39

-2.54%

+11.92%

4. Massachusetts (MA)

430

4628.48

+0.47%

+28.36%

5. New York (NY)

397

4273.27

+4.47%

+29.74%

6. Washington (WA)

341

3670.49

-0.58%

+30.65%

7. Rhode Island (RI)

333

3584.38

+3.42%

+31.62%

8. Montana (MT)

319

3433.68

-0.93%

+67.02%

9. New Hampshire (NH)

312

3358.34

+3.31%

+65.08%

10. Oregon (OR)

305

3282.99

-0.97%

+27.08%

Below is a schematic map of the US showing the median housing price levels across all states.

 

Housing Costs by US Counties

Moving from states to counties: the 50 US states and the District of Columbia contain 3,144 counties and equivalents (independent cities, parishes, and other special units). An additional 100 county equivalents are located in US territories outside the 50 states and DC.

To explore residential real estate costs in specific US counties, we provide an interactive map showing the median listing price by county.

 

Housing Costs in US Metropolitan Areas

As of September 2025, FRED provides data on median price per square foot for 925 metropolitan areas. Notably, these areas vary significantly in composition — in simple terms, US metropolitan areas may consist of multiple counties (or equivalent units) linked to at least one core (urban center/district) and adjacent counties with high social and economic integration with the core.

For a visual overview of housing prices in US metropolitan areas, below is a map highlighting the 250 largest metropolitan areas in the country.