The steel city is offering up some steals. 

Pittsburgh may not have the sun-soaked gloss of Los Angeles or the skyline swagger of Manhattan, but it’s quietly pulling off a trick that borders on fantasy in 2025: It’s the most affordable city where ordinary people can still achieve the American Dream, according to Realtor.com.

While much of the country is pricing out first-time buyers, Steel City is behaving like it didn’t get the memo.

The metro’s median listing price hovered around $250,000 in October — far below what buyers face in most large markets. 

Pittsburgh is emerging as one of the country’s rare affordability bright spots, with a median listing price of $250,000 in October — more than $150,000 below the national median. checubus – stock.adobe.com

“In October, Pittsburgh remained the lowest-priced large US housing market, with a median listing price of $250,000, more than $150,000 below the national median,” Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com, said.

Even with slight increases over the past five years, the region’s relative calm has turned it into an affordability anomaly. 

“In a housing landscape where affordability has eroded nationwide, Pittsburgh remains a rare bright spot where buying a home is still within reach for most households,” Jones said.

The city’s appeal for new buyers isn’t just about cheap price tags. 

Prices are only about 6% higher than five years ago, and the city recently ranked as the only major metro where becoming a first-time homeowner is cheaper than renting. Tupungato – stock.adobe.com

Research also shows that Pittsburgh is one of just three large metros where a median-income household can afford a median-priced home, and in July it was the only major metro where that same buyer could afford more than half of all listings. Steven – stock.adobe.com

Realtor.com’s analysis found Pittsburgh was the only major metro where a typical first-time homeowner would spend less on a mortgage than on rent — and one of only a few where a median-income household can qualify for a median-priced home.

This summer, the market’s depth stood out even more.

“This underscores that, more than anywhere else, the typical Pittsburgh buyer still has real options in today’s housing market,” Jones said.

Those options are visible on the ground. 

Roughly 5,800 homes were listed for sale this fall, a level that agents say gives newcomers a chance to be picky. 

Inventory is plentiful, with 5,842 homes on the market. ZBreakiron – stock.adobe.com

“Buyers have a lot of choices in every price point,” agent Jackie Bohdan, who notes that affordability is drawing transplants working in fields like IT, healthcare, and robotics, said. oldmn – stock.adobe.com

“Buyers have a lot of choices in every price point, so they can always find something,” Jackie Bohdan of Your Town Realty said. 

She adds that affordability is drawing workers relocating for jobs in IT, healthcare and robotics.

“Most of my clients are transplants rather than locals,” she said.

The city’s population has grown by more than 4,700 residents since 2020, according to Census Bureau estimates, and homeownership levels outpace the national average. 

The city has added nearly 5,000 residents since 2020 and boasts a homeownership rate of roughly 69.5%, well above the national average. Rawf8 – stock.adobe.com

Pittsburgh also offers grants and other incentives that Bohdan says have saved some first-time buyers “thousands of dollars.” SNEHIT PHOTO – stock.adobe.com

Bohdan says she’s seeing a wave of first-time buyers — most in their 30s, though some are barely out of college — who are entering the market more easily than they could elsewhere.

“Lower prices make it easier for buyers to enter the market here,” she said. “The majority of my clients are first-time buyers in their 30s — but my youngest client was just 21.”

City-backed incentives are sweetening the deal, too, with grants and assistance programs that trim upfront costs for qualified buyers. 

“I wish more people were aware of the incentives and took advantage of them,” Bohdan said. “Some of my clients have saved themselves thousands of dollars.”