What's a healthy ratio in Washington D.C.?

Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.

Does this account for interest rates?

No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.

What if my income is higher?

Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.

Buyer authority DC

Most affordable cities for home buyers in Washington D.C..

Affordability = how many years of household income buys the median home. This ranks Washington D.C. cities by price-to-income ratio (lower = more affordable).

Last updated September 2026

Washington D.C. ranking

1 cities ranked. Click any row for the matching local page.

#	City	Price-to-income ratio	Score
1	Washington	8.6x income	0	View →

Methodology

Ratio = estimated home value ÷ average household income (Census ACS). Demographia bands (under 3.0 affordable, over 5.0 severely unaffordable) are designed around medians, so treat these as directional. Cities whose true median home value likely exceeds the dataset's modeled value (e.g. SF Bay, Manhattan) are flagged in their state pages.

FAQ

What's a healthy ratio in Washington D.C.?: Under 3.0 is considered affordable; 3.0-4.0 moderate; 4.0-5.0 seriously unaffordable; over 5.0 severely unaffordable.
Does this account for interest rates?: No, price-to-income is rate-agnostic so it stays comparable across cycles.
What if my income is higher?: Your personal ratio matters more than the market median. Use it as a relative comparison.