The cost of owning a home in America is climbing — and it’s not just about rising prices.
A new analysis shows mortgage payments have more than doubled over the past decade in every major U.S. city — driven largely by higher interest rates.
While home prices have gone up, incomes haven’t kept pace, putting pressure on family budgets and stretching the timeline for first-time buyers.
Real estate platform Zoocasa looked at data from 50 cities, comparing median home prices and mortgage payments from 2014 to 2024.
In some U.S. cities, mortgage payments haven’t just doubled — they’ve tripled over the last decade.
The Zoocasa report shows that from 2014 to 2024, average monthly mortgage payments jumped by more than 200% in 17 cities. And it’s not just in high-priced markets like Miami — even traditionally affordable cities like Buffalo saw sharp increases.
The biggest shock? Tampa.
Back in 2014, the average mortgage payment there was just $617. Fast forward to this year, and it’s skyrocketed to $2,204 — a jump of over 257%.
During that time, Tampa’s median home price climbed from $156,000 to $405,000, but incomes only rose about 48% — widening the gap between what homes cost and what buyers can afford.
In the D.C. area, mortgage payments rose 132% while incomes rose only 37%, something Jacob Bournazian, with EXP Realty, says is bad, but it’s not as bad as other parts of the country.
“In 2014, your average mortgage payment was $1,600, and it increased to $3,700 in 2024,” Bournazian said. “That’s a $2,100 increase per month,” he said.
“So the average homeowner in Washington, D.C. pays an extra $25,000 in ’24 compared to 2014 to own a home,” said Bournazian.
Researchers assumed a 20% down payment and used Freddie Mac’s average 30-year fixed rates to calculate their data.
Back in May 2014, rates averaged 4.29%. This year? 7.22% — a jump that’s making monthly payments far more expensive, even for the same home.
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