How much home does $400,000 buy in Detroit compared to San Francisco?

In the Detroit metro, at a median $156 per square foot, $400,000 buys about 2,560 square feet, a full house. In the San Francisco metro, at a median $1,112 per square foot, the same money buys about 360 square feet, a studio. That is a 7.1 times difference in floor area for the same budget.

Which US metros have the cheapest home price per square foot in 2026?

Among the 18 large metros in this analysis, Detroit ($156/sq ft), San Antonio ($158), and Houston ($162) are the cheapest per square foot. In all three, $400,000 buys more than 2,400 square feet. Data: Redfin Data Center, MSA medians, period ending May 31, 2026.

Which US metros are the most expensive per square foot?

San Francisco ($1,112/sq ft) and San Jose ($973) are far above every other metro in the sample. The next tier is Los Angeles ($599), San Diego ($585), and New York ($503). In the two Bay Area metros, $400,000 buys under 420 square feet.

Why is there a price cliff between inland and coastal metros?

In this 18-metro sample, no metro falls between Las Vegas at $254 per square foot and Miami at $391. Above the gap, $400,000 buys 1,500 or more square feet; below it, 1,050 or less. The cliff mostly reflects land cost and supply constraints: coastal metros with strong job markets, restrictive zoning, and hard geographic limits price scarcity into every existing square foot.

What $400,000 buys across major US metros

The same $400,000 buys a 2,560 sq ft house in Detroit and a 360 sq ft studio in San Francisco, a 7.1 times difference in floor area. Median sale price per square foot across 18 US metros, from Redfin Data Center, May 2026.

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