Poughkeepsie, New York Is the Least Affordable of Any City We Track (2026)

Name: Most affordable cities and states, The Honest Local
Creator: The Honest Local
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Poughkeepsie, New York is the least affordable of the 106 US cities we rank, with an Affordability Score of 10.1 out of 100 (Zillow, Census, BEA, 2026). San Francisco, California is next, with an Affordability Score of 14.4.

By The Honest Local · 106 cities · every value links to its public source

10.1Poughkeepsie, New York has the lowest Affordability Score, 106 cities, the 100 largest metro areas and every city we coverWhat a household actually pays for a home, the basics and taxes, weighed against what people there earn, blended into one number.

The top five cities Affordability Score out of 100, and the readings behind it

No. 1Poughkeepsie, New York10.110.1 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 2San Francisco, California14.414.3 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 3New York, New York14.714.7 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 4Los Angeles, California15.515.5 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)
No. 5Bridgeport, Connecticut16.516.5 score (0-100, higher = more affordable)

Least Affordable Cities on the map

Affordability Score, cities hover for the numbers, click for every one

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The Honest Local's own recipe, housing and everyday costs weighed against local income and taxes, blended into one score, with cities and states ranked separately.

Least Affordable Cities, all 106

The full ranking most score, 0 to 100

	Place	Affordability Scoreout of 100	Housing	Everyday	Taxes
1	Poughkeepsie, New York	10.1	1515	88	7.47
2	San Francisco, Californiabig city	14.4	2.63	4.14	3636
3	New York, New Yorkbig city	14.7	0.40	1414	3030
4	Los Angeles, Californiabig city	15.5	2.42	4.95	3939
5	Bridgeport, Connecticut	16.5	9.39	2929	1212
6	Rochester, New York	18.7	2727	2323	5.86
7	New Haven, Connecticut	18.8	1111	3232	1313
8	Oxnard, California	19.8	1212	9.510	3838
9	San Diego, Californiabig city	20.1	1717	3.94	4040
10	Syracuse, New York	20.6	3232	2525	5.56
11	Honolulu, Hawaiibig city	21.4	8.28	2.63	5353
12	Worcester, Massachusetts	21.9	1616	2828	2222
13	Albany, New York	22.1	3636	2424	6.57
13	Portland, Maine	22.1	1414	2626	2626
15	San Jose, Californiabig city	22.5	2828	7.78	3232
16	Fresno, Californiabig city	25.3	3333	7.98	3535
17	Providence, Rhode Island	25.6	1212	3636	2929
17	Riverside, Californiabig city	25.6	2323	1111	4343
19	Boston, Massachusettsbig city	26.5	5.96	2525	4949
20	Hartford, Connecticut	26.7	3434	3232	1414
21	Bakersfield, Californiabig city	27.7	5555	6.36	2222
22	Stockton, Californiabig city	27.8	4040	8.38	3535
23	Buffalo, New Yorkbig city	27.9	3636	2323	2424
24	Allentown, Pennsylvania	28.3	2020	2828	3737
25	Sacramento, Californiabig city	29.2	4848	7.47	3333
26	Chicago, Illinoisbig city	30.3	4343	1717	3131
27	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	30.8	2828	2727	3737
28	Portland, Oregonbig city	36.1	5757	2525	2727
29	Madison, Wisconsinbig city	37	4646	5050	1515
30	Detroit, Michiganbig city	37.4	5454	2424	3434
31	Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city	38.1	5353	4848	1313
32	Miami, Floridabig city	39.4	1.52	4949	6868
33	Baltimore, Marylandbig city	40.4	6161	3636	2424
33	Washington, DCbig city	40.4	5757	1717	4848
35	Richmond, Virginia	40.6	3636	4747	3939
36	Vancouver, Washington	43.9	4545	3434	5353
37	Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city	44.3	7373	3737	2323
38	St. Louis, Missouribig city	45.6	4545	5252	4040
39	Seattle, Washingtonbig city	46	5454	3535	4949
40	Savannah, Georgia	46.5	2424	7070	4646
41	Spokane, Washington	46.8	5353	3636	5252
42	Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city	47.9	5353	3131	6060
43	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city	49.7	7171	2121	5656
44	Cincinnati, Ohiobig city	50.2	4444	5858	4949
45	Grand Rapids, Michigan	50.7	6262	4545	4545
46	Cleveland, Ohiobig city	50.8	5353	5757	4343
47	Provo, Utah	51.4	3030	5555	7070
48	Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city	51.5	6060	5757	3737
49	Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city	51.7	6464	4646	4545
50	Charleston, South Carolina	53.1	3232	6565	6363
51	Atlanta, Georgiabig city	54.1	6464	5858	4040
52	Augusta, Georgia	54.4	no reading	7070	3838
53	Dayton, Ohio	56	6363	6161	4444
53	Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city	56	5555	6060	5353
55	Salt Lake City, Utah	56.3	4545	5555	6969
55	Sarasota, Florida	56.3	1919	7070	8080
57	Denver, Coloradobig city	56.8	6060	3737	7474
58	Columbia, South Carolina	57.4	5252	6767	5353
58	El Paso, Texasbig city	57.4	5959	6767	4747
60	Asheville, North Carolina	57.6	3535	7171	6666
60	Tucson, Arizonabig city	57.6	3838	5959	7676
62	Knoxville, Tennessee	57.8	1111	7878	8484
63	Houston, Texasbig city	58.1	6565	5656	5454
64	Dallas, Texasbig city	58	6565	5656	5353
65	Akron, Ohio	59.1	7575	5757	4545
66	Reno, Nevadabig city	59.5	3030	5555	9494
67	Jackson, Mississippi	59.7	6161	7676	4343
67	Orlando, Floridabig city	59.7	4040	6868	7272
69	Birmingham, Alabama	60.5	6262	5959	6060
70	Daytona Beach, Florida	60.8	3636	6666	8181
71	Columbus, Ohiobig city	61	7777	5757	4949
72	Melbourne, Florida	61.1	3333	6868	8282
72	Ogden, Utah	61.1	6565	5555	6363
74	Boise, Idaho	61.6	4444	8181	5959
75	Toledo, Ohiobig city	62.1	8181	6161	4545
76	Omaha, Nebraskabig city	62.5	8181	7878	2929
77	Kansas City, Missouribig city	62.8	8484	6666	3838
78	Lakeland, Florida	63.4	4444	6969	7777
78	Tampa, Floridabig city	63.4	4242	7474	7474
80	Greensboro, North Carolinabig city	63.8	6868	7373	5151
80	Las Vegas, Nevadabig city	63.8	4545	5656	9191
82	Greenville, South Carolina	64.2	6565	7070	5757
83	Fayetteville, Arkansas	64.1	3232	8888	7373
84	Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city	64.4	6262	5656	7575
85	Cape Coral, Florida	64.8	5656	6969	6969
86	Durham, North Carolinabig city	65.7	7070	7272	5555
87	Wichita, Kansasbig city	65.8	9494	7070	3333
88	Des Moines, Iowa	66.1	9696	6767	3636
88	New Orleans, Louisianabig city	66.1	4545	9393	6161
90	Austin, Texasbig city	66.9	6969	7777	5656
91	Charlotte, North Carolinabig city	67.6	6767	7474	6262
92	Raleigh, North Carolinabig city	67.8	6969	7373	6262
93	San Antonio, Texasbig city	68.2	7777	7777	5050
94	Tulsa, Oklahomabig city	68.7	8080	8282	4545
95	Louisville, Kentuckybig city	69.6	8181	7272	5656
96	Nashville, Tennesseebig city	69.8	4545	7979	8686
97	Indianapolis, Indianabig city	69.9	8787	6565	5858
98	Phoenix, Arizonabig city	70.1	6767	5656	8787
99	Jacksonville, Floridabig city	70.6	6868	6767	7676
99	McAllen, Texas	70.6	8181	8181	5050
101	Memphis, Tennesseebig city	70.7	7575	7575	6161
102	Chattanooga, Tennessee	71.3	5454	8686	7474
103	Huntsville, Alabama	71.5	8686	6161	6868
104	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	72.5	4949	9494	7575
105	Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city	72.6	9494	8181	4343
106	Little Rock, Arkansas	79.6	9090	9090	5959

Sources and method

How we got this. The Affordability Score is The Honest Local’s own recipe. Each source ranks every place on its own from 0 to 100 and the score is the average, so a place has to do well on all of them to lead. We don't publish a cost of living number pulled from one source. We blend three groups, each ranked on its own against every other place that has it, then averaged. Housing is the typical rent over a year and the typical home value, each as a share of the median household income there. Everyday costs are the federal price parity for goods, the best free read on groceries and basics at the metro level, plus the price of gas and of household electricity. Taxes are the combined state and local sales tax, the top state income tax rate on wages (Washington taxes only capital gains, so it reads zero) and the effective property tax rate. Each of those eight figures ranks every place on its own from 0 to 100, with a lower cost or tax always scoring higher. A group's score is the average of the figures it has, and the final score is the average of the three groups. A place missing a whole group is scored on the rest, never handed a fake zero. Rank 1 is the most affordable. Cities and states rank as two separate lists, never against each other. It refreshes monthly, with the yearly figures (income, price parities, tax rates) updated as each agency publishes.

Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.

Photos Juliancolton, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Shutterstock/Marek Masik · Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.