10 East Coast Cities Where You Can Buy Homes for $100,000 or Less

In recent years, driven by the rising cost of living and the remote work revolution, Americans have moved to more cheap housing areas . Although Realtor.com reports that median prices are the lowest in the Midwest and Rust Belt states — the five metropolitan areas with the largest number of single-family homes for under $100,000 are Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland — cheap house deals can be found anywhere, even in high-priced East Coast states.

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“Bargains definitely exist. But buyers should go in with their eyes open,” said Chief Economist of Realtor.com, Danielle Hale. “In some of those areas, $100,000 can buy a pretty decent home that maybe needs a little bit of updating. In others, it might be a home that needs an awful lot of work and might be in not-yet-up-and-coming neighborhoods.”

Very few people can pull up the stakes and move to a more affordable region in the U.S., but if you’re an East Coast resident frustrated by high housing costs and mortgage rates, relief might be found in a move to a cheaper metropolitan area along the Atlantic Seaboard.

Below is a list of the 10 East Coast cities with populations over 100,000 that have the most houses to purchase for under $100,000. Included are total listings and number of listings under $100,000 (per current Realtor.com stats), the percentage of listings under $100,000, and median home list prices as of May 31, per Zillow.

Next: 8 Places Where Houses Are Suddenly Major Bargains

10. Baltimore, Maryland

• Total Listings: 520
• Listings Under $100,000: 24
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 4.6%
• Median Home List Price: $221,633

Baltimore has a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 92.6, which is 7.4% and 17.2% lower than the national and Maryland averages, respectively. Houses are much cheaper than the state and national averages, but you’ll have to choose your neighborhood wisely — Baltimore is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., with high violent and property crime rates of 77.8 and 67.6 out of 100 (the U.S. averages are 22.7 and 35.4), per BestPlaces.

9. Fayetteville, North Carolina

• Total Listings: 1,208
• Listings Under $100,000: 26
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 2.2%
• Median Home List Price: $233,817

North Carolina is the ninth most populous state in the country, but it was the third fastest-growing from 2022 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It can be an expensive place to live, but there are cheaper pockets throughout. One is Fayetteville, which has rental costs and a cost of living (8%) below the national average, per Houzeo.

8. Columbia, South Carolina

• Total Listings: 1,215
• Listings Under $100,000: 29
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 2.4%
• Median Home List Price: $257,800

According to the local Post and Courier, Columbia and the Midlands area in South Carolina are seeing a slowdown in the housing market now that stimulus checks have disappeared and mortgage rates increased. The 2,700 homes sold so far in 2024 are up 1.7% from 2023 but down 20% from 2022’s sales.

7. Augusta, Georgia

• Total Listings: 725
• Listings Under $100,000: 60
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 8.3%
• Median Home List Price: $191,567

Buyers on a budget should be able to buy a house for cheap in Augusta, as over 8% of its listed houses are under $100,000. Located near the South Carolina border, Augusta is Georgia’s second-largest metropolitan area and a destination for retirees looking for warm weather and a low cost of living.

6. Jacksonville, Florida

• Total Listings: 4,636
• Listings Under $100,000: 77
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 1.7%
• Median Home List Price: $308,167

Jacksonville is one of the cheapest cities in Florida. Its residents benefit from a low cost of living, which is 5% below the national average and 9% below the rest of Florida, per the Economic Research Institute. Jacksonville also has the second largest city land area out of all incorporated places in the U.S. (behind Anchorage) as of Jan. 1, 2020, per the Census’ Gazetteer Files.

5. Columbus, Georgia

• Total Listings: 690
• Listings Under $100,000: 81
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 11.7%
• Median Home List Price: $175,000

Placed attractively near the navigable portion of the Chattahoochee River, Columbus is a median-to-large city with roughly the same population as Augusta and significantly less than Atlanta. Columbus has a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 78, which is 22.0% lower than the U.S. average but 17.5% higher than the average for Georgia.

4. Buffalo, New York

• Total Listings: 742
• Listings Under $100,000: 94
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 12.7%
• Median Home List Price: $206,600

Ranking fifth on Realtor.com’s list of cities where you can buy a home if you make under $100,000, Buffalo is considered a hot and competitive market by many real estate sites. According to Redfin, for May 2024, Buffalo home prices are up 7.7% year-over-year, and homes typically sell for 5%-14% above list price, depending on desirability.

3. Syracuse, New York

• Total Listings: 564
• Listings Under $100,000: 131
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 23.2%
• Median Home List Price: $158,267

The fifth-most populated city in New York has an urban-suburban mix skewed towards renters, who make up 59% of the population, according to Niche. The site gives Syracuse an A+ for diversity but a D+ for crime and safety.

2. Rochester, New York

• Total Listings: 599
• Listings Under $100,000: 192
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 32.1%
• Median Home List Price: $174,967

Combined, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester currently have just over 1,900 homes for sale under $100,000, but Rochester has the most, with 192 — that’s 32.1% of its total listings of single-family homes. It’s buyer-friendly, too — Rochester ranks seventh on Realtor.com’s list of cities where you can buy a home if you make under $100,000.

1. Macon, Georgia

• Total Listings: 965
• Listings Under $100,000: 245
• Percentage of Listings Under $100,000: 25.4%
• Median Home List Price: $135,667

Surprise! Although Macon has an estimated population of just over 150,000, it has a surprisingly large land area, ranking 25th out of the largest 336 metropolitan areas (by population) in the U.S. Its percentage of listings under $100,000 ranks second only to Rochester among East Coast cities with populations over 100,000.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 10 East Coast Cities Where You Can Buy Homes for $100,000 or Less