| # | Metro | Median list price | List price YoY | Price per sq ft | Active listings | Price-to-income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nantucket, MA | $5.87M | +6.6% | $1,912 | 145 | 49.0× |
| 2 | Vineyard Haven, MA | $2.5M | +1.4% | $1,130 | 260 | 24.4× |
| 3 | Jackson, WY | $2.15M | +10.4% | $823 | 418 | 20.1× |
| 4 | Santa Barbara, CA | $1.72M | -8.9% | $861 | 718 | 17.9× |
| 5 | Heber, UT | $1.59M | +11.0% | $683 | 1,595 | 12.7× |
| 6 | Rifle, CO | $1.51M | -5.8% | $699 | 875 | 16.7× |
| 7 | Kapaa, HI | $1.51M | +8.1% | $1,019 | 385 | 16.1× |
| 8 | San Jose, CA | $1.39M | +1.7% | $827 | 2,112 | 8.8× |
| 9 | Salinas, CA | $1.29M | +0.7% | $691 | 551 | 13.7× |
| 10 | Napa, CA | $1.27M | -10.1% | $675 | 572 | 11.7× |
| 11 | Hailey, ID | $1.25M | -26.6% | $764 | 293 | 15.4× |
| 12 | Santa Cruz, CA | $1.25M | +0.1% | $729 | 513 | 11.4× |
| 13 | Key West, FL | $1.2M | -4.1% | $832 | 1,163 | 14.6× |
| 14 | Edwards, CO | $1.15M | +22.7% | $729 | 1,047 | 11.1× |
| 15 | Los Angeles, CA | $1.03M | -5.9% | $647 | 20,130 | 11.1× |
| 16 | San Luis Obispo, CA | $1.03M | -7.3% | $574 | 722 | 11.0× |
| 17 | Kahului, HI | $995,000 | -13.5% | $894 | 1,367 | 10.5× |
| 18 | San Francisco, CA | $957,475 | -1.8% | $627 | 5,840 | 7.2× |
| 19 | Bozeman, MT | $954,500 | +6.4% | $445 | 840 | 10.9× |
| 20 | Oxnard, CA | $942,076 | -5.7% | $527 | 1,601 | 8.8× |
| 21 | Breckenridge, CO | $908,625 | -9.0% | $757 | 1,088 | 8.9× |
| 22 | Santa Rosa, CA | $908,500 | -6.8% | $539 | 1,169 | 8.8× |
| 23 | Barnstable Town, MA | $899,000 | -2.5% | $549 | 1,247 | 9.5× |
| 24 | Kalispell, MT | $897,000 | -5.3% | $435 | 963 | 12.6× |
| 25 | Gardnerville Ranchos, NV | $888,450 | -6.3% | $480 | 310 | 10.0× |
Housing market ranking · September 2026 data
What are the most expensive places to buy a house in the U.S.?
Nantucket, MA is the most expensive U.S. housing market, with a $5.87M median listing price in September 2026, per Realtor.com data. Vineyard Haven, MA and Jackson, WY follow. 16 of 778 metro areas with at least 100 listings have a median above $1 million; the typical metro sits at $338,962.
How is the most expensive housing market measured?
This list ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by median listing price. Each metro needs at least 100 active listings so a few luxury homes cannot set the number. As of September 2026, 778 metros qualify, and their median asking price is $338,962. Prices are Realtor.com asking medians, not closed sales.
For the other end of the scale, see the cheapest places to buy a house. For income-adjusted affordability, see the price-to-income ranking.
Which metros have the highest median home prices?
Nantucket, MA leads at $5.87M, about 17 times the typical metro. Vineyard Haven, MA is second at $2.5M and Jackson, WY third at $2.15M. California holds 10 of the top 25 spots, more than any other state; CO is next with 3.
Which large cities are the most expensive?
Among metros with at least one million residents, San Jose, CA is the most expensive at $1.39M, followed by Los Angeles, CA at $1.03M. 56 large metros qualify, and the top 4 are all in California. Population comes from the Census American Community Survey.
| # | Metro | Median list price | Population | Price-to-income | List price YoY | Listings with a price cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $1.39M | 1,969,353 | 8.8× | +1.7% | 16.4% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | $1.03M | 13,012,469 | 11.1× | -5.9% | 17.1% |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $957,475 | 4,653,593 | 7.2× | -1.8% | 13.4% |
| 4 | San Diego, CA | $888,450 | 3,282,782 | 8.7× | -6.3% | 20.4% |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $784,778 | 4,917,661 | 7.0× | -3.4% | 16.6% |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $749,970 | 4,021,467 | 6.7× | -2.4% | 25.0% |
| 7 | New York, NY | $742,000 | 19,756,722 | 7.6× | -2.3% | 10.3% |
| 8 | Honolulu, HI | $675,000 | 1,003,666 | 6.5× | +3.9% | 14.2% |
| 9 | San Juan, PR | $622,250 | 2,063,795 | 22.2× | -2.9% | 8.1% |
| 10 | Sacramento, CA | $599,950 | 2,406,563 | 6.4× | -2.6% | 22.0% |
Among these large metros, Seattle, WA had the highest share of listings with a price reduction, 25.0%. For rule-based market conditions, see buyer’s vs seller’s markets.
Are prices still rising in the most expensive markets?
Not everywhere. 15 of the 25 most expensive metros had a lower median list price than a year earlier in September 2026. High prices and rising prices are different filters, so check the year-over-year column and the falling-prices ranking before assuming a pricey market is still climbing.
See where home prices are falling for the largest year-over-year declines and inventory above 2019 for metros where supply has rebuilt.
How unaffordable are the most expensive metros?
Price-to-income shows how far prices outrun local pay. Among the top 25, Nantucket, MA has the highest ratio at 49.0 times the median household income. Across all 778 ranked metros the median ratio is 5.2, so the priciest markets sit far above the norm.
Price-to-income on this page divides the median listing price by median household income from the Census American Community Survey. It is a rough screen, not a mortgage qualification test. For the income a median listing requires at today’s mortgage rate, see income needed to buy a home.
What about luxury resort towns?
Some of the priciest markets are resort ZIP codes or counties rather than metro areas, so they are listed apart. Malibu, CA has a $5.89M median list price and Newport Beach, CA $4.48M, as of September 2026. They are not ranked against metros above.
WealthyBud tracks these markets at the ZIP-code or county level because they sit inside larger metros or are not metro areas at all:
| Market | Geography | Median list price | List price YoY | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu, CA | ZIP 90265 | $5.89M | -1.0% | 321 |
| Newport Beach, CA | ZIP 92660 | $4.48M | +3.1% | 116 |
| Telluride, CO | San Miguel County, CO | $3.4M | +3.0% | 272 |
| Aspen, CO | Pitkin County, CO | $3.37M | -6.9% | 451 |
| The Hamptons, NY | ZIP 11937 | $2.97M | +0.5% | 224 |
| Park City, UT | Summit County, UT | $1.61M | +3.2% | 882 |
| Scottsdale, AZ | ZIP 85255 | $1.6M | -18.8% | 301 |
| Sun Valley, ID | Blaine County, ID | $1.52M | -31.1% | 250 |
| Boca Raton, FL | ZIP 33432 | $1.28M | -32.3% | 323 |
How is the most-expensive list calculated?
Universe: Census-defined metro and micro areas in WealthyBud’s September 2026 Realtor.com dataset with at least 100 active listings, one record per metro code. Ranked by median listing price, descending. ZIP- and county-level resort records are listed separately because they are not metro areas.
- Keep Census metro and micro areas (CBSA records) with at least 100 active listings and a published median list price.
- Keep one record per metro code, so twin city pages for the same metro are not double counted.
- Sort by median listing price, descending, and show the top 25.
- Build a second table limited to metros with ACS population of at least 1,000,000.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive place to buy a house in the U.S.?
Among metro areas with at least 100 active listings, Nantucket, MA has the highest median listing price at $5.87M as of September 2026, per Realtor.com. Vineyard Haven, MA and Jackson, WY rank second and third, and 16 metros have a median of $1 million or more.
Which big city has the most expensive homes?
Of metros with at least one million residents, San Jose, CA leads at a $1.39M median list price in September 2026. Los Angeles, CA is next at $1.03M. Both are in California, which holds the top 4 large-metro spots. Population comes from the Census ACS.
How many U.S. housing markets have a median price over $1 million?
16 of the 778 metro areas WealthyBud tracks with at least 100 listings had a median listing price of $1 million or more in September 2026. A few resort ZIP codes and counties, such as Malibu and Newport Beach, list higher still but are tracked separately.
Are home prices falling in expensive markets?
In some. 15 of the 25 most expensive metros listed homes for less than a year earlier as of September 2026. Asking prices can fall while values stay high, so compare price cuts and days on market on each metro page.
What is the typical home price in the U.S. by metro?
The median of metro-level median listing prices was $338,962 across the 778 metros on this list in September 2026. That is a middle-of-the-pack metro, not a national median sale price, which other sources calculate differently. See the tables and sources on this page.
How is this most-expensive list built?
WealthyBud keeps Census metro and micro areas with at least 100 active listings, removes duplicate records for the same metro, and sorts by Realtor.com median listing price. Income and population come from the Census ACS. No missing values are estimated.
Key takeaways
- Nantucket, MA is the most expensive metro at a $5.87M median list price (September 2026).
- 16 of 778 metros with at least 100 listings have a median at or above $1 million.
- San Jose, CA is the most expensive metro with over a million residents, at $1.39M.
- California holds 10 of the top 25 spots.
- 15 of the top 25 list for less than a year ago, so high price does not mean rising price.
For education only, not real-estate or investment advice. Asking prices are not closed-sale prices.