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Homeownership is to the American dream. It offers , security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Alabama residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as and fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers and younger generations .

But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.

To find out where these cities are, ranked the most affordable cities in Alabama, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this .

#1. Clay, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 22.5%
- Median sale price: $252,660
- Median household income: $86,163
- Income needed to buy: $64,520
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,613
- See homes for sale in Clay on

#2. Moody, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 24.0%
- Median sale price: $270,870
- Median household income: $86,389
- Income needed to buy: $69,170
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,729
- See homes for sale in Moody on

#3. Calera, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 24.3%
- Median sale price: $261,421
- Median household income: $82,441
- Income needed to buy: $66,757
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,669
- See homes for sale in Calera on

#4. Chelsea, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 25.5%
- Median sale price: $365,755
- Median household income: $110,056
- Income needed to buy: $93,400
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,335
- See homes for sale in Chelsea on

#5. Helena, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 25.6%
- Median sale price: $366,528
- Median household income: $109,590
- Income needed to buy: $93,598
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,340
- See homes for sale in Helena on

#6. Trussville, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 25.9%
- Median sale price: $407,801
- Median household income: $120,794
- Income needed to buy: $104,137
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,603
- See homes for sale in Trussville on

#7. Gardendale, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 26.1%
- Median sale price: $277,105
- Median household income: $81,215
- Income needed to buy: $70,762
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,769
- See homes for sale in Gardendale on

#8. Alabaster, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 26.7%
- Median sale price: $314,523
- Median household income: $90,163
- Income needed to buy: $80,318
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,008
- See homes for sale in Alabaster on

#9. Prattville, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 28.3%
- Median sale price: $293,530
- Median household income: $79,396
- Income needed to buy: $74,957
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,874
- See homes for sale in Prattville on

#10. Madison, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 28.3%
- Median sale price: $486,126
- Median household income: $131,436
- Income needed to buy: $124,139
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,103
- See homes for sale in Madison on

#11. Leeds, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 28.9%
- Median sale price: $269,934
- Median household income: $71,672
- Income needed to buy: $68,931
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,723
- See homes for sale in Leeds on

#12. Northport, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 30.2%
- Median sale price: $306,494
- Median household income: $77,781
- Income needed to buy: $78,267
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,957
- See homes for sale in Northport on

#13. Millbrook, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 30.8%
- Median sale price: $259,613
- Median household income: $64,522
- Income needed to buy: $66,295
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,657
- See homes for sale in Millbrook on

#14. Saraland, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 31.0%
- Median sale price: $244,921
- Median household income: $60,577
- Income needed to buy: $62,544
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,564
- See homes for sale in Saraland on

#15. Daphne, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 31.6%
- Median sale price: $357,113
- Median household income: $86,479
- Income needed to buy: $91,193
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,280
- See homes for sale in Daphne on

#16. Pelham, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 31.6%
- Median sale price: $379,577
- Median household income: $91,904
- Income needed to buy: $96,930
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,423
- See homes for sale in Pelham on

#17. Irondale, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 32.6%
- Median sale price: $303,450
- Median household income: $71,240
- Income needed to buy: $77,490
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,937
- See homes for sale in Irondale on

#18. Hoover, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 34.2%
- Median sale price: $480,984
- Median household income: $107,822
- Income needed to buy: $122,825
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,071
- See homes for sale in Hoover on

#19. Vestavia Hills, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 35.4%
- Median sale price: $596,673
- Median household income: $129,171
- Income needed to buy: $152,368
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,809
- See homes for sale in Vestavia Hills on

#20. Athens, Alabama
- Payment to income ratio: 36.6%
- Median sale price: $310,545
- Median household income: $65,000
- Income needed to buy: $79,302
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,983
- See homes for sale in Athens on