The report from Consumer Affairs analyzed 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau against two metrics - median monthly housing costs and median owner-occupied unit values - to determine which U.S. cities are the most expensive. To the surprise of no one, California cities dominated the list, ranking four out of the top five spots.
Below shows the top 5 most expensive cities in the US, along with their median monthly housing costs (such as utilities, insurance, and rent or mortgage payment):
1) San Jose: $2,463
2) San Francisco: $2,337
3) San Diego: $2,044
4) Seattle: $1,984
5) Los Angeles: $1,845
Los Angeles comes in under Seattle in terms of median home values ($812,800) and median monthly housing costs ($1,845). However, because Los Angeles residents have a median household income almost $40,000 lower than Seattle's, it has the highest monthly housing costs relative to income of any city in the list's top 10.
If you're looking for the least expensive city for housing costs, head over to Detroit, Michigan. According to the report, residents' median monthly housing costs here are $755.
