USA TODAY International Edition
Suburbs can offer more for your money
House hunters can snap up a suburban abode that costs the same as a home near downtown with up to 65% more square feet.
The coronavirus pandemic has left many Americans clamoring for more living space. But how much will it cost them?
Historically low interest rates and a shortage of homes for sale sparked bidding wars, driving up prices. But Realtor. com has identified the communities, within 25 miles of the nation’s 10 biggest metro areas, that offer the most space for your money.
In those areas, house hunters can snap up a suburban abode that costs the same as a home near downtown, but with up to 65% more square feet. Or they can typically save 29% per square foot when they purchase property in a community just a half- hour drive away from an urban hub.
The sharpest contrast is in Southern California, where a 2,000- squarefoot single- family house in Fullerton is typically $ 304,000 cheaper than a similar property in Los Angeles.
Top 10 suburbs
Here are the top spots for deal seekers, ranked by the median listing price for a home:
Sicklerville, New Jersey
Savings per square foot: 20%
Cedar Hill, Texas
Savings per square foot: 23%
Palos Hills, Illinois h h
Savings per square foot: 24%
Marietta, Georgia h h
Jersey Village, Texas
h h
Hanover, Massachusetts h h h
Pine Island Ridge- Plantation, Florida h h h h
Savings per square foot: 21%
Savings per square foot: 36%
Savings per square foot: 34%
Savings per square foot: 34%
Clark, New Jersey h h
Savings per square foot: 34%
Ashton- Sandy Spring, Maryland
Savings per square foot: 39%
Fullerton, California
h h h
Nearby metro: Philadelphia
Median listing price: $ 282,000
Median income: $ 89,300
Nearby metro: Dallas
Median listing price: $ 352,000
Median income: $ 76,600
Nearby metro: Chicago
Median listing price: $ 379,000
Median income: $ 65,700
Nearby metro: Atlanta
Median listing price: $ 440,000
Median income: $ 96,500
Nearby metro: Houston
Median listing price: $ 447,000
Median income: $ 85,400
Nearby Metro: Boston
Median listing price: $ 670,000
Median income: $ 129,100
Nearby metro: Miami
Median listing price: $ 679,000
Median income: $ 75,000
Nearby metro: New York City
Median listing price: $ 798,000
Median income: $ 111,400
Nearby metro: Washington
Median listing price: $ 844,000
Median income: $ 153,300
Nearby metro: Los Angeles
Median listing price: $ 1,155,000
Savings per square foot: 27%
Median income: $ 109,900