Housing affordability has reached an ‘all-time low’ in the United States, with the average American having to meet mortgage payments of over $2,600, representing an overall increase in costs by a staggering 19 percent in the last year alone.
There are now 31 states requiring people to pay more than $2,000 per month for their mortgages. Hawaii is the most expensive and the first to have an average payment above $5,000 per month. California is second with $4,800, and Massachusetts is third, requiring homeowners to pay $4,000 per month.
A total of 37 states require “at least 30 percent of median annual income” to get onto the housing ladder. California, for example, is estimated to require a record 64 percent of household income, leading one report to argue: “[this] truly is an unprecedented market.”
Yet it is not merely mortgage payments. The cost of renting has also reached unprecedented highs. The average single-family home costs at least $1,900 a month. American housing affordability is lower than at the height of the “2008 housing crisis,” said Adam Kobeissi, noting that the cost of building materials remains historically high.
 – April 17th, 2026.&image=https://thenationalpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/55213515586_6327b23df8_k.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
