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Homeownership is to the American dream. It offers , security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many Virginia 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 Virginia, 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. Mechanicsville, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 31.3%
- Median sale price: $398,399
- Median household income: $97,569
- Income needed to buy: $101,736
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,543
- See homes for sale in Mechanicsville on

#2. Hampton, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 32.9%
- Median sale price: $290,902
- Median household income: $67,758
- Income needed to buy: $74,285
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,857
- See homes for sale in Hampton on

#3. Dale City, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 34.9%
- Median sale price: $515,926
- Median household income: $113,245
- Income needed to buy: $131,748
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,294
- See homes for sale in Dale City on

#4. Suffolk, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 35.6%
- Median sale price: $418,524
- Median household income: $90,089
- Income needed to buy: $106,876
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,672
- See homes for sale in Suffolk on

#5. Linton Hall, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 35.8%
- Median sale price: $799,367
- Median household income: $170,989
- Income needed to buy: $204,129
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,103
- See homes for sale in Linton Hall on

#6. Chesapeake, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 37.1%
- Median sale price: $456,641
- Median household income: $94,189
- Income needed to buy: $116,609
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,915
- See homes for sale in Chesapeake on

#7. Burke, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 37.3%
- Median sale price: $870,873
- Median household income: $179,063
- Income needed to buy: $222,389
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,560
- See homes for sale in Burke on

#8. Woodbridge, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 38.3%
- Median sale price: $501,192
- Median household income: $100,370
- Income needed to buy: $127,986
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,200
- See homes for sale in Woodbridge on

#9. Sterling, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 38.7%
- Median sale price: $635,460
- Median household income: $125,753
- Income needed to buy: $162,273
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,057
- See homes for sale in Sterling on

#10. Tuckahoe, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 39.4%
- Median sale price: $495,224
- Median household income: $96,188
- Income needed to buy: $126,462
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,162
- See homes for sale in Tuckahoe on

#11. Short Pump, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 39.5%
- Median sale price: $681,701
- Median household income: $132,194
- Income needed to buy: $174,081
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,352
- See homes for sale in Short Pump on

#12. Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 39.7%
- Median sale price: $469,791
- Median household income: $90,685
- Income needed to buy: $119,967
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,999
- See homes for sale in Virginia Beach on

#13. Manassas, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 39.9%
- Median sale price: $614,674
- Median household income: $117,919
- Income needed to buy: $156,965
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,924
- See homes for sale in Manassas on

#14. Lake Ridge, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 41.9%
- Median sale price: $661,298
- Median household income: $120,844
- Income needed to buy: $168,871
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,222
- See homes for sale in Lake Ridge on

#15. South Riding, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 42.2%
- Median sale price: $1,051,309
- Median household income: $190,701
- Income needed to buy: $268,465
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $6,712
- See homes for sale in South Riding on

#16. Springfield, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 45.0%
- Median sale price: $726,683
- Median household income: $123,691
- Income needed to buy: $185,568
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,639
- See homes for sale in Springfield on

#17. West Falls Church, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 46.2%
- Median sale price: $791,676
- Median household income: $131,236
- Income needed to buy: $202,165
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,054
- See homes for sale in West Falls Church on

#18. Centreville, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 47.0%
- Median sale price: $881,998
- Median household income: $143,704
- Income needed to buy: $225,230
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,631
- See homes for sale in Centreville on

#19. Ashburn, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 47.8%
- Median sale price: $949,157
- Median household income: $152,094
- Income needed to buy: $242,379
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $6,059
- See homes for sale in Ashburn on

#20. Leesburg, Virginia
- Payment to income ratio: 50.2%
- Median sale price: $922,465
- Median household income: $140,668
- Income needed to buy: $235,563
- Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,889
- See homes for sale in Leesburg on