A recent GOBankingRates report revealed that a $300,000 budget for purchasing a home varies dramatically across the United States, offering potential buyers vastly different options depending on the state.
In West Virginia, for instance, buyers can purchase over 2,000 square feet, significantly above the national average of 1,500 square feet available in 25 states. Conversely, states like Hawaii offer a stark contrast, where the same budget only affords around 443 square feet, highlighting the challenges many face in high-cost living areas, reported Fox 4 KDFW.
The report also indicated that several states, including Maine and California, yield less than 1,000 square feet for a $300,000 budget, placing substantial pressure on first-time homebuyers amid rising home prices and elevated mortgage rates.
Where does Texas rank?
Find out by reading the rest of the story from Fox:
GOBankingRates, a site offering financial advice and credit information, analyzed how much house a $300,000 budget can afford across all 50 states, as well as what a $400,000 and $500,000 budget can look like.
Here’s what the report found:
How much $300K, $400K, and $500K buy in each state
What we know:
Those with a $300,000 budget to buy a house could get something up to 1,500 square feet across 25 states, according to the report. West Virginia was ranked at the top, where $300,000 can buy more than 2,000 square feet worth of home. Hawaii was ranked last on the list, where a $300,000 budget can buy just 443 square feet on average, according to the report, which noted how that’s less than the average size of a studio apartment.
By the numbers:
Those with a $300,000 budget won’t get very much space in seven states – less than 1,000 square feet of home, according to the report: Maine (986 sq. ft.), Arizona (985 sq. ft.), New Jersey (969 sq. ft.), New York (787 sq. ft.), California (641 sq. ft.), Massachusetts (593 sq. ft.) and Hawaii.
The backstory:
Rising home prices in the U.S. and elevated mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have kept many prospective home shoppers on the sidelines. This is especially true for first-time buyers who don’t have equity from an existing home to put toward a new home purchase.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. remains high, but continued to ease slightly this week. It fell to 6.85% from 6.87% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said on Thursday. A year ago, it averaged 6.9%.
Dig deeper:
GOBankingRates said the cost per square foot increases in states with a high cost of living, compared to those that are less expensive. It added that the difference between the most expensive state (Hawaii, at $678 per square foot) and the cheapest (West Virginia at $167) is $511.
1. West Virginia
- Square feet for $300,000: 2,185
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,913
- Square feet for $500,000: 3,641
- Price per square foot: $137
2. Kansas
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,894
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,526
- Square feet for $500,000: 3,157
- Price per square foot: $158
3. Alabama
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,876
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,501
- Square feet for $500,000: 3,126
- Price per square foot: $160
4. Mississippi
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,855
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,473
- Square feet for $500,000: 3,092
- Price per square foot: $162
5. Oklahoma
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,793
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,391
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,988
- Price per square foot: $167
6. Arkansas
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,781
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,375
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,968
- Price per square foot: $168
7. Iowa
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,776
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,368
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,960
- Price per square foot: $169
8. Indiana
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,733
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,310
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,888
- Price per square foot: $173
9. Kentucky
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,721
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,295
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,869
- Price per square foot: $174
10. Michigan
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,706
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,275
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,843
- Price per square foot: $176
11. Missouri
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,704
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,272
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,840
- Price per square foot: $176
12. Georgia
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,691
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,255
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,818
- Price per square foot: $177
13. Nebraska
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,685
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,246
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,808
- Price per square foot: $178
14. North Dakota
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,678
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,238
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,797
- Price per square foot: $179
15. Minnesota
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,668
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,224
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,780
- Price per square foot: $180
16. Texas
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,647
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,196
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,746
- Price per square foot: $182
17. Maryland
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,629
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,172
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,716
- Price per square foot: $184
18. Tennessee
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,617
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,157
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,696
- Price per square foot: $185
19. Pennsylvania
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,604
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,139
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,673
- Price per square foot: $187
20. Illinois
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,591
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,121
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,651
- Price per square foot: $189
21. Louisiana
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,587
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,116
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,645
- Price per square foot: $189
22. Montana
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,583
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,111
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,638
- Price per square foot: $190
23. New Mexico
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,577
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,103
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,629
- Price per square foot: $190
24. South Carolina
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,550
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,067
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,584
- Price per square foot: $194
25. Ohio
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,529
- Square feet for $400,000: 2,038
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,548
- Price per square foot: $196
26. South Dakota
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,493
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,991
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,488
- Price per square foot: $201
27. Wyoming
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,486
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,982
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,477
- Price per square foot: $202
28. North Carolina
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,401
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,868
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,335
- Price per square foot: $214
29. Delaware
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,388
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,850
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,313
- Price per square foot: $216
30. Wisconsin
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,360
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,813
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,266
- Price per square foot: $221
31. Idaho
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,351
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,802
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,252
- Price per square foot: $222
32. Virginia
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,290
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,720
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,150
- Price per square foot: $233
33. Nevada
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,254
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,672
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,090
- Price per square foot: $239
34. Colorado
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,245
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,660
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,074
- Price per square foot: $241
35. Florida
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,244
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,658
- Square feet for $500,000: 2,073
- Price per square foot: $241
36. Rhode Island
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,171
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,561
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,951
- Price per square foot: $256
37. New Hampshire
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,153
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,537
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,921
- Price per square foot: $260
38. Connecticut
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,143
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,524
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,905
- Price per square foot: $263
39. Alaska
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,137
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,516
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,895
- Price per square foot: $264
40. Washington
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,057
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,409
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,762
- Price per square foot: $284
41. Utah
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,033
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,377
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,721
- Price per square foot: $291
42. Oregon
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,017
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,356
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,695
- Price per square foot: $295
43. Vermont
- Square feet for $300,000: 1,006
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,342
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,677
- Price per square foot: $298
44. Maine
- Square feet for $300,000: 986
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,315
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,644
- Price per square foot: $304
45. Arizona
- Square feet for $300,000: 985
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,313
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,641
- Price per square foot: $305
46. New Jersey
- Square feet for $300,000: 969
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,292
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,615
- Price per square foot: $310
47. New York
- Square feet for $300,000: 787
- Square feet for $400,000: 1,049
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,311
- Price per square foot: $381
48. California
- Square feet for $300,000: 641
- Square feet for $400,000: 854
- Square feet for $500,000: 1,068
- Price per square foot: $468
49. Massachusetts
- Square feet for $300,000: 593
- Square feet for $400,000: 790
- Square feet for $500,000: 988
- Price per square foot: $506
50. Hawaii
- Square feet for $300,000: 443
- Square feet for $400,000: 590
- Square feet for $500,000: 738
- Price per square foot: $678