Back to the trend of the day: US holiday: shares traded, banks shut, government borrowing costs near 24-year high

Poly Rating · from the trend of the day

Income Needed to Buy a House: Top 10 Metros at 7.40% (2026)

Buying a typical San Jose home takes $374,000 to $501,000 a year in income, more than three to four times the roughly $121,000 needed nationally.

No. 1: San Jose, CA
10 places
Current as of October 20, 2026, 09:31 EDT

01Final list

The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.

Order: from most to least AI agreement.

A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.

1
San Jose, CA
Needs the most income of any metro: $374,241 (Redfin) to $501,012 (ConsumerAffairs/Zillow). At 7.40%, the payment takes an estimated 66% of a median income near $175k.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 1
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 1
  At 7.40% a typical home needs about $390k of income, against a local median near $175k, yet it's the only big metro that earns so much.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 1
  Redfin’s 2026 affordability analysis estimates $374,241 in annual income is needed to afford its median-priced home—the highest figure in that analysis.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
2
Los Angeles, CA
A typical LA home is about $928k (Zillow, city). At 7.40% that is about $5,000 a month, an estimated 61% of a median near $98k. Redfin puts the income needed at $248,307.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 3
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 2
  A typical LA home costs about $5,000 a month at 7.40%, more than 60% of a median household's income.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 3
  Redfin estimates $248,307 in annual income is needed for its median-priced home; Zillow’s separate Los Angeles city page reports a $927,891 typical value for September 2026, a different geography and measure.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
3
San Diego, CA
A typical city home is worth $985,158, so the payment is about $5,400 a month, an estimated 59-62% of local income. Redfin puts the income needed at $231,151.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 3 · ChatGPT: 4
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 3
  A home near $985k means a payment of about $5,400, close to 60% of local income.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 4
  Redfin’s estimate is $231,151 in annual income needed, placing it fourth among the coastal California metros highlighted in that analysis.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
More about the top three ↓
4
San Francisco, CA
It needs the second-highest income ($291,256, Redfin), but a median income near $150k softens the hit: an estimated 53% of income, fourth by burden.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 4 · ChatGPT: 2
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 4
  Even with a $150k median income, a $1.2M-class home needs about $265k to stay under 30%.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 2
  Redfin places its income-needed estimate at $291,256, but it uses a different affordability setup than the specified shared-rate calculation.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
5
Miami, FL
Zillow's own 2026 analysis puts the payment at 46.7% of median income on a $466,944 typical home. That uses Zillow's rate assumptions, so the share is likely higher at 7.40%.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 8 · ChatGPT: 5
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 8
  Miami's typical home is only about half the price of San Diego's, but local incomes are lower, so the payment still takes about 40-43% of income.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 5
  Zillow’s 2026 analysis lists a typical-home payment taking 46.7% of median household income under its methodology—well above a 30% rule of thumb.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
6
New York, NY
A typical home costs about $3,500 a month on an income under $100k, an estimated 46%. Zillow says even a 0% rate would not make it affordable.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 6
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 5
  The nation's biggest metro pays about $3,500 a month for a typical home on an income under $100k.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 6
  Zillow research identifies New York among the expensive coastal metros where even a zero-percent mortgage would not make the typical home affordable for the median-income household under its scenario.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
7
Seattle, WA
Seattle has one of the highest incomes (about $125k), yet a home near $850k still takes an estimated 45%. The September median sale price was $850,000.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 8
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 7
  Seattle has one of the highest incomes on the list, yet at 7.40% the payment is still about 45% of it.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 8
  A recent Seattle report shows local sale-price and rent movements can diverge; the requested mortgage burden depends on a home-value index and income matched to the full metro.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
8
Boston, MA
High prices are matched by high incomes (about $125k), for an estimated 38% at 7.40%. HSH says $212,586 is needed at 6.41% once taxes and insurance are included.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 7
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 9
  Boston's high price is largely matched by high income, so its burden is about 38%, but HSH says the income needed is $212,586.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 7
  Boston is among the largest high-cost metros, but the specified local payment-share rank needs the same vintage of Zillow metro values and ACS incomes for every contender.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
9
Denver, CO
A Zillow-based value of about $558,508 means about $3,200 a month at 7.40%, an estimated 38% of a six-figure income. Sacramento is about the same.
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: 9
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 10
  Denver sits at 38% with a payment of about $3,200 against a six-figure income.
  Source ↗
- ChatGPTplace 9
  A broad 2026 metro report puts Denver’s end-2025 Portland-comparable Zillow value at about $558,508, but that does not yield a 7.40% payment share without the paired income and exact vintage.
  Source ↗
2 AIs put it here
Source ↗
10
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
The inland 'cheap' alternative to LA, yet at 7.40% a home near $600k takes an estimated 45% of income. Only one AI listed it.
Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT.
In their lists: Claude: 6
What each AI noted 1
- Claudeplace 6
  Inland California is the 'affordable' answer to LA, but at 7.40% its payment still takes about 45% of income.
  Source ↗
1 AIs put it here
Source ↗

02More about the top three

The ranking is above. Here is more about the three places at the top: what they are, why they are here, and what is worth knowing.

The three are not measured quite alike: Redfin, Zillow and ConsumerAffairs use different sources, areas (metro or city) and rates, so the dollar figures and income shares differ.

1San Jose, CA

No. 1 — San Jose, CA. On the lists of 2 of 2 AIs; median place there: 1. It needs the most income of any metro, because very high home prices sit on top of a local median income of only about $175k.

San José’s goverment · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

Before Sacramento, San Jose was California's first capital. The first state Legislature met here in 1849, then the capital moved on to Vallejo, Benicia and finally Sacramento.
Source ↗

What it is: Big Silicon Valley city in California with very expensive homes.
Its edge: Needs the most income: $374k to $501k a year for a typical home.
Who should know: Useful to know for anyone wondering how out of reach housing can get.

Income needed to buy$374k–$501k income needed
Founded1777
HeadquartersCalifornia

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

Redfin says San Jose homebuyers needed $374,241 a year to afford a median-priced home, the highest amount among the 50 metros it analyzed. — (voice only)
Source ↗
In Redfin’s later city comparison, the payment took 65.9% of local income—down 7.4 percentage points from the year before, but still more than twice the 30% affordability limit. — (voice only)
Source ↗

Did you know

The Peralta Adobe in San Pedro Square dates to 1797. It is the oldest surviving structure in San Jose, a rare piece of the Spanish-era town still standing in modern downtown.
Source ↗

History

In 1906, an earthquake and fires killed 16 people in San José and caused $3,000,000 in property damage. The city organized relief and recovered quickly; its farm and canning work had time to get back on track before the next harvest. — San José Public Library
Source ↗

Keep in mind

A San Jose State report calls San Jose the most expensive large city in the country. It says a median-priced home needs a household income of $370,000, and living there is 81% more expensive than the national average.
Source ↗
Renting is hard too. The same report says the average city renter needs to make more than $136,000 to keep housing at 30% of income. Two-bedroom rent in Santa Clara County is up 90% in 10 years.
Source ↗

Where to go further

Walk Japantown, the city's historic Japanese neighborhood with shops, galleries and murals. Start with the official neighborhood page, then plan an afternoon for a mural walk and a bite to eat.
Source ↗

Video: The Most Impossible Rise of a City Ever: San Jose, California · Paul McAllister

Compare the top three ↓

2Los Angeles, CA

No. 2 — Los Angeles, CA. On the lists of 2 of 2 AIs; median place there: 2.5. A typical home costs about $928k and needs about $248k of income, less than San Jose but far above what locals earn.

The official seal for the City of Los Angeles was designed by Herbert L. Goudge, a deputy city attorney, and officially · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

Digging at the La Brea Tar Pits is far from finished. Scientists said there is so much left to do that it could easily take another century to complete.
Source ↗

What it is: Huge Southern California city, home to Hollywood and the La Brea Tar Pits.
Its edge: Needs less income than San Jose but more than San Diego.
Who should know: Useful to know for anyone seeing how far prices outrun pay in big coastal cities.

Income needed to buy$248,307 income needed
Founded1781
HeadquartersCalifornia

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

Redfin put Los Angeles’s needed income at $248,307, third among the coastal California metros it listed, behind San Jose and San Francisco and ahead of San Diego. — (voice only)
Source ↗

Did you know

The La Brea museum has recovered about 5.5 million bones. They represent more than 600 species of animals and plants, and many more bones still sit in crates waiting to be cleaned and identified.
Source ↗

History

In 1913, the Los Angeles Aqueduct began bringing water from the eastern Sierra to Los Angeles. That new supply helped the city grow, and some San Fernando Valley communities later joined Los Angeles to get aqueduct water. — Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Source ↗

Keep in mind

Redfin's study found 0% of Los Angeles homes cheaper to buy than rent. It put typical monthly ownership cost at $6,454 against $3,612 for rent, using a 6.5% mortgage rate.
Source ↗
Fortune says the couple's income is slightly over $100,000. A $900,000 home at 7% would cost about $4,790 a month before taxes and insurance. Hollywood strikes have also cut their work.
Source ↗

Where to go further

Griffith Observatory is free to enter, but planetarium shows cost extra. Check the show list on the official planetarium page first, then leave about two hours for the telescopes and views.
Source ↗

Video: The Story of Los Angeles, California's MEGACITY · TDC

Compare the top three ↓

3San Diego, CA

No. 3 — San Diego, CA. On the lists of 2 of 2 AIs; median place there: 3.5. A typical home near $985k makes the payment about 60% of local income, though the income needed is lower than in the other two.

San Diego Sister Cities Sign - East Looking East — Kire1975 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

San Diego Bay is where Europeans first reached the U.S. West Coast. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's ships entered the bay on September 28, 1542, after sailing from Navidad, Mexico.
Source ↗

What it is: Coastal California city by the Mexican border, known for its bay and Balboa Park.
Its edge: Needs the least income of the three: about $231k a year.
Who should know: Useful to know for anyone seeing that even the cheapest of the top three is steep.

Income needed to buy$231,151 income needed
Founded1769
HeadquartersCalifornia

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

Redfin put San Diego’s needed income at $231,151, just below Los Angeles’s $248,307 in its comparison of coastal California metros. — (voice only)
Source ↗
Redfin reported that the share of income needed in San Diego fell 2.0% year over year, while the income needed to afford the median-priced home was still $231,151. — (voice only)
Source ↗

History

In 1915, San Diego opened the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. The fair’s buildings, including the Cabrillo Bridge and structures along El Prado, helped shape the cultural park visitors see today. — City of San Diego
Source ↗

Keep in mind

Zillow estimates San Diego families need nearly $275,000 a year for a mortgage, but median household income in the county is $96,964. About 1 in 10 residents can afford a median-priced home.
Source ↗
Saving for a 10% down payment would take nearly 17 years at 5% of income a month, against a national average of 8.4 years. Also, 38% of residents are considering moving away.
Source ↗

Video: How to Spend 3 PERFECT Days in San Diego · Voyager

Compare the top three ↓

The top three side by side

	San Jose, CA	Los Angeles, CA	San Diego, CA
In the AIs' lists	2 / 2	2 / 2	2 / 2
Income needed to buy	$374k–$501k income needed	$248,307 income needed	$231,151 income needed
Founded	1777	1781	1769
Headquarters	California	California	California
Put first by	Claude, ChatGPT	—	—

Places with the same number of AIs are ordered by their average place in the AIs' own lists.

03Worth knowing

What the AIs noticed while building the list.

Nationally, $120,796 a year is needed (ConsumerAffairs/Zillow, 10% down, 28% rule), 3.2% less than in 2025, while San Jose needs $501,012.

Noticed by:

Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT.

Source ↗

Sources disagree widely on San Jose: about $501k (ConsumerAffairs), nearly $480k (Offerpad), $374k (Redfin) and nearly $200k in syndicated HSH-based copies, because they use different down payments, rates and ratios.

Noticed by:

Included it: Claude, ChatGPT.

Source ↗

NAR's index was 102.3 in June 2026, meaning the median family could just qualify, but it assumed a 6.57% rate. At 7.40% the payment is about 10% higher.

Noticed by:

Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT.

Source ↗

NAR's national median existing single-family price reached $434,900 in Q2 2026, and prices rose in 80% of metro markets.

Noticed by:

Included it: ChatGPT. Did not include: Claude.

Source ↗

ACS income covers all households, including owners with paid-off homes, so the real burden for a first-time buyer is likely higher than shown.

Noticed by:

Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT.

Source ↗

04How we counted

In plain words, no formulas.

1The question

Top 10 US Metros Where a 7.40% Mortgage Takes the Biggest Bite of Local Income

2Why this topic

It turns one national rate into a burden for each place. People search for this all year, by city and by state.

3Where it applies

United States, largest metropolitan areas

4What we looked at

Monthly principal and interest on a typical home at 7.40% over 30 years, with the same down payment in every metro
That payment as a share of local median household income (the ranking order)
Income needed to keep the payment under 30% of income, compared with the actual local median
Cross-check against the published NAR affordability benchmark
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey — National 30-year fixed rate, 7.40% for the weeks of Oct 8 and Oct 15, 2026, used as the shared rate
Zillow Research, Zillow Home Value Index — Typical home value (35th-65th percentile) by metro; city pages differ from metro values
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 — Median household income by metro (all households, not only buyers)
Redfin 2026 affordability analysis — Income needed to afford a median-priced home, under Redfin's own assumptions

5Who ranked

The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT.

6How the places were set

The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.

05Each AI's own list

🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 3 notes

The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

1
San Jose, CA metro
At 7.40% a typical home needs about $390k of income, against a local median near $175k, yet it's the only big metro that earns so much.
Source ↗
2
Los Angeles metro (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim)
A typical LA home costs about $5,000 a month at 7.40%, more than 60% of a median household's income.
Source ↗
3
San Diego metro
A home near $985k means a payment of about $5,400, close to 60% of local income.
Source ↗
4
San Francisco metro (San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley)
Even with a $150k median income, a $1.2M-class home needs about $265k to stay under 30%.
Source ↗
5
New York metro
The nation's biggest metro pays about $3,500 a month for a typical home on an income under $100k.
Source ↗
6
Riverside-San Bernardino metro
Inland California is the 'affordable' answer to LA, but at 7.40% its payment still takes about 45% of income.
Source ↗
7
Seattle metro
Seattle has one of the highest incomes on the list, yet at 7.40% the payment is still about 45% of it.
Source ↗
8
Miami metro
Miami's typical home is only about half the price of San Diego's, but local incomes are lower, so the payment still takes about 40-43% of income.
Source ↗
9
Boston metro
Boston's high price is largely matched by high income, so its burden is about 38%, but HSH says the income needed is $212,586.
Source ↗
10
Denver metro
Denver sits at 38% with a payment of about $3,200 against a six-figure income.
Source ↗

What Claude noticed

Nationally, ConsumerAffairs (Zillow data, 10% down, 28% rule) says $120,796 is needed, 3.2% lower than in 2025, while San Jose needs $501,012 a year. The gap between the top metro and the typical one is more than four to one.

Source ↗

Every top-5 metro in my ranking is on the coasts. A 7.40% mortgage turns a manageable payment into one that takes half of income or more where prices are over $900k.

Source ↗

Nationally, NAR's index was 102.3 in June 2026, meaning the median family could just qualify. But it assumed a 6.57% rate, while the rate here is 7.40%, which raises the payment about 10% and tilts the index toward unaffordable.

Source ↗

🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

1
San Jose metro, California
Redfin’s 2026 affordability analysis estimates $374,241 in annual income is needed to afford its median-priced home—the highest figure in that analysis.
Source ↗
2
San Francisco metro, California
Redfin places its income-needed estimate at $291,256, but it uses a different affordability setup than the specified shared-rate calculation.
Source ↗
3
Los Angeles metro, California
Redfin estimates $248,307 in annual income is needed for its median-priced home; Zillow’s separate Los Angeles city page reports a $927,891 typical value for September 2026, a different geography and measure.
Source ↗
4
San Diego metro, California
Redfin’s estimate is $231,151 in annual income needed, placing it fourth among the coastal California metros highlighted in that analysis.
Source ↗
5
Miami metro, Florida
Zillow’s 2026 analysis lists a typical-home payment taking 46.7% of median household income under its methodology—well above a 30% rule of thumb.
Source ↗
6
New York metro, New York-Newark-Jersey City
Zillow research identifies New York among the expensive coastal metros where even a zero-percent mortgage would not make the typical home affordable for the median-income household under its scenario.
Source ↗
7
Boston metro, Massachusetts
Boston is among the largest high-cost metros, but the specified local payment-share rank needs the same vintage of Zillow metro values and ACS incomes for every contender.
Source ↗
8
Seattle metro, Washington
A recent Seattle report shows local sale-price and rent movements can diverge; the requested mortgage burden depends on a home-value index and income matched to the full metro.
Source ↗
9
Denver metro, Colorado
A broad 2026 metro report puts Denver’s end-2025 Portland-comparable Zillow value at about $558,508, but that does not yield a 7.40% payment share without the paired income and exact vintage.
Source ↗
10
Portland metro, Oregon-Washington
The same regional report gives Portland metro’s end-2025 typical value at about $534,600; a city or sale-price statistic would not be a like-for-like substitute.
Source ↗

What ChatGPT noticed

Redfin’s 2026 income-needed figures put San Jose ($374,241), San Francisco ($291,256), Los Angeles ($248,307) and San Diego ($231,151) at the top of its analysis; those are an independent check, not a direct replication of the proposed Zillow-plus-ACS ranking.

Source ↗

Zillow reports a 46.7% payment-to-median-income share for Miami in one 2026 analysis, but its rate, down payment and home-value methodology should not be silently treated as the requested fixed 7.40% scenario.

Source ↗

The national NAR median existing single-family home price reached $434,900 in Q2 2026; NAR said prices rose in 80% of metro markets that quarter.

Source ↗

Zillow’s ‘typical home’ index and NAR’s median closed-sale price measure different things, so a metro ranking may change based on the chosen home-price definition.

Source ↗

01Final list

San Jose, CA

Los Angeles, CA

San Diego, CA

San Francisco, CA

Miami, FL

New York, NY

Seattle, WA

Boston, MA

Denver, CO

Riverside-San Bernardino, CA

02More about the top three

1San Jose, CA

Did you know

2Los Angeles, CA

Did you know

3San Diego, CA

Did you know

The top three side by side

More ratings

03Worth knowing

04How we counted

1The question

2Why this topic

3Where it applies

4What we looked at

5Who ranked

6How the places were set

05Each AI's own list

What Claude noticed

What ChatGPT noticed