Buying a Median-Priced Home Would Cost Typical Mortgage Holders About $1,100 More a Month
PR Newswire•11/11/2026•06:00 ET
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Key Highlights
- ➤U.S. payment rises to $2,468 from $1,332, an 85.3% increase
- ➤7.32% mortgage rate leaves 44.5% of households able to afford median-priced homes
- ➤Portland, Maine payment jumps 167.0% to $3,392, the largest increase
- ➤San Jose payment reaches $7,039, up 164.8% from current holders’ $2,659
- ➤Pittsburgh has the smallest metro increase at 43.3%, reaching $1,441
- ➤Rates near 6.0% still leave payments 61.7% above current mortgage-holder levels
Expert Statements
Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com
“Home sales have been stuck for several years, and this research helps illuminate one of the major friction points for today’s homeowners who might like to move. Together, home prices and mortgage rates have drastically changed what it takes to buy a home.”
Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com
“For the typical mortgage holder, buying a home at today’s median-price and current rates would mean finding about $1,100 more each month for principal and interest, before property taxes and insurance. Lower rates would help, but even at 6%, the typical payment would still be more than 60% higher. For many families, that is money they simply don’t have to spare.”
Hannah Jones, Senior Economist at Realtor.com
“More affordable markets offer homeowners a smaller payment jump, not an escape from higher costs. The estimated increase is about 43% in Pittsburgh versus 165% in San Jose. Lower home prices and, in many markets, higher rates on existing loans help narrow that gap, making a move more attainable.”
Hannah Jones, Senior Economist at Realtor.com
“Lower rates alone would not erase the affordability gap. Slower home-price growth and rising incomes would also help narrow the difference between what households pay now and what it would take to buy.”
Buying a Median-Priced Home Would Cost Typical Mortgage Holders About $1,100 More a Month PR Newswire
Higher mortgage rates and home prices push the estimated principal-and-interest payment 85.3% above what today's typical mortgage holder pays
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