St. Louis just earned the spotlight as the 3rd most affordable city in the U.S. to buy a home in 2026, giving buyers a rare chance to get big-city benefits without a crushing mortgage payment.
St. Louis Stands Out on National Lists
House Beautiful and Zillow rank St. Louis among the “Top 10 Most Affordable Cities to Buy a Home in 2026,” with St. Louis coming in at number three. In a market where many buyers feel priced out, that top-three ranking signals real opportunity in a major metro with strong culture, jobs, and amenities.
At the same time, Redfin’s 2025 analysis of payment-to-income ratios highlights the broader St. Louis region—and especially North St. Louis suburbs like Bellefontaine Neighbors—as some of the most affordable places in the entire country for homebuyers.
If you are planning a move into this high-value market, Dodge Moving & Storage can help you turn that affordability advantage into a smooth, stress-free relocation anywhere in the St. Louis metro area.
What Affordability Looks Like in St. Louis
According to the House Beautiful data, the typical monthly mortgage payment in St. Louis is about $1,826. On average, that payment takes up only 25.6 percent of a typical household’s income, keeping St. Louis well under the 30 percent affordability threshold that many housing experts recommend.
Households need an annual income of roughly $73,000 to afford the typical home in St. Louis, which keeps homeownership within reach for many middle-income buyers. In contrast, Redfin finds that the typical U.S. homeowner spends around 39 percent of their income on housing, showing just how much further your money can go in and around St. Louis.
Once you find the right home, Dodge Moving & Storage can handle packing, loading, transportation, and storage solutions so you can focus on closing, inspections, and getting settled in your new neighborhood instead of worrying about the logistics.
A Region Where Your Dollar Goes Further
Redfin’s research shows that many of the nation’s most affordable cities are in the Midwest and South, with a strong concentration in Rust Belt markets like St. Louis and Detroit. These areas tend to have lower home prices—often under a $300,000 median sale price—which helps keep payment-to-income ratios low for typical households.
Within the St. Louis region, suburbs such as Bellefontaine Neighbors and Ferguson post some of the lowest housing burdens in the country, with typical households spending between roughly 16 and 18 percent of their income on housing. While affordability on paper does not erase long-term issues like disinvestment and income inequality, it does create a window of opportunity for buyers who are ready and able to purchase a home.
Whether you are moving into a historic city neighborhood, a North County suburb, or a growing community in the metro area, an experienced local mover like Dodge Moving & Storage knows the routes, parking, and building requirements that keep move day efficient and predictable.
Why 2026 Is a Smart Time to Act
Redfin expects affordability to slowly improve in 2026 and beyond as wages start to grow faster than housing costs for the first time in years. However, they also note that affordability will remain a challenge nationwide until homebuilding catches up with years of unmet demand.
Zillow’s and House Beautiful’s 2026 outlook shows that in many of the most affordable metros, including St. Louis, home values have softened compared to the recent peak, giving buyers more negotiating power and making ownership more attainable. With St. Louis ranking as the 3rd most affordable city and its payment-to-income share well below the national average, buyers who act now can lock in both value and lifestyle in a major metro.